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Price  Twenty  Cents. 

HA^PEF^S 

'  HALF-Houf^ Series. 

THE   JILT. 

^  NotJel. 
By  CHARLES  READE, 

ACTHOR  OF   "a   woman-hater,"    "HARD   CASH,"   "  PUT 
V0CR3ELP  IX  HIS   PLACE,"  ETC. 

ILLUSTRATED, 


r 

Copyright,  1977,  by  Harpek  &  BwJTHEE?. 


Mkya  /3i/3Xtov  ixsya  kukov. — Caltimachus- 
MiKpov  j3il3\iov  l-isya  dya^ov. — Converse. 


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THE  JILT. 


^  ^orel. 


By  CHARLES  READE, 

AUTHOR   OF   "A   WOMAN-HATEE, "   "HARD   CASH,"   "PUT 
YOURSELF  IN  HIS   PLACE,"  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


NEW  YORK: 

HARPER  &    BROTHERS,  PUBLISHER! 

FRANKLIN    SQUARE. 

1877. 


THE  JILT.-A  YARK 


^5S 
R2&S 


PART  I. 

It  was  a  summer  afternoon ;  the  sun  shone 
mellow  upon  the  south  sands  of  Tenby ;  the  clear 
blue  water  sparkled  to  the  horizon,  and  each  rip- 
ple, as  it  came  ashore,  broke  into  diamonds. 
This  amber  sand,  broad,  bold,  and  smooth  as  the 
turf  at  Lord's — and,  indeed,  wickets  are  often 
pitched  on  it — has  been  called  "Nature's  finest 
promenade  ;"  yet,  owing  to  the  attraction  of  a 
flower  show,  it  was  now  paraded  by  a  single  fig- 
ure— a  tall,  straight,  well-built  young  man,  rath- 
er ruddy,  but  tanned  and  bronzed  by  weather; 
shaved  smooth  as  an  egg,  and  his  collar,  his  tie, 
and  all  his  dress  very  neat  and  precise.  He  held 
a  deck  glass,  and  turned  every  ten  yards,  though 
he  had  a  mile  to  promenade.  These  signs  de- 
noted a  good  seaman.  Yet  his  glass  swept  the 
land  more  than  the  water,  and  that  is  not  like  a 
sailor. 

This  incongruity,  however,  was  soon  explained 
and  justified. 

There  hove  in  sight  a  craft  as  attractive  to  ev- 


iv'r?R">Kioi 


8 


ery  true  tar,  from  an  admiral  of  the  red  to  the 
boatswain's  mate,  as  any  cutter,  schooner,  brig, 
bark,  or  ship ;  and  bore  down  on  him,  with  col- 
ors flying  alow  and  aloft. 

Lieutenant  Greaves  made  all  sail  toward  her, 
for  it  was  Ellen  Ap  Rice,  the  loveliest  girl  in 
Wales. 

He  met  her  with  glowing  cheeks  and  sparkling 
eyes,  and  thanked  her  warmly  for  coming.  "  In- 
deed you  may,"  said  she :  "  when  I  promised,  I 
forgot  the  flower  show." 

"  Dear  me,"  said  he,  "  what  a  pity  !  I  would 
not  have  asked  you." 

"  Oh,"  said  she,  "  never  mind ;  I  shall  not  break 
my  heart;  but  it  seems  so  odd  you  wanting  me 
to  come  out  here,  when  you  are  always  welcome 
at  our  house,  and  papa  so  fond  of  you." 

Lieutenant  Greaves  endeavored  to  explain. 
''  Why,  you  see.  Miss  Ap  Rice,  I'm  expecting  my 
sailing  orders  down,  and  before  I  go,  I  want — 
And  the  sight  of  the  sea  gives  one  courage." 

"  Not  always ;  it  gave  me  a  fit  of  terror  the 
last  time  I  was  on  it." 

"  Ay,  but  you  are  not  a  sailor ;  it  gives  vw 
courage  to  say  more  than  I  dare  in  your  own 
liouse ;  you  so  beautiful,  so  accomplished,  so  ad- 
mired, I  am  afraid  you  will  never  consent  to 
throw  yourself  away  upon  a  seaman." 


THE    JILT.  9 

Ellen  arched  her  brows.  "  "What  are  you  say- 
ing, Mr.  Greaves?  Why,  it  is  known  all  over 
Tenby  that  I  renounce  the  military,  and  have 
vowed  to  be  a  sailor's  bride." 

By  this  it  seems  there  were  only  two  learned 
professions  recognized  by  the  young  ladies — at 
Tenby. 

"Ay,  ay,"  said  Greaves,  "an  admiral,  or  that 
sort  of  thing." 

"  Well,"  said  the  young  lady,  "  of  course  he 
would  have  to  be  an  admiral — eventually.  But 
they  can  not  be  born  admirals."  At  this  stage  of 
the  conversation  she  preferred  not  to  look  Lieu- 
tenant Greaves,  R.N.,  in  the  face ;  so  she  wrote 
pot-hooks  and  hangers  on  the  sand,  with  her  par- 
asol, so  carefully  that  you  would  have  sworn  they 
must  be  words  of  deepest  import. 

"  From  a  lieutenant  to  an  admiral  is  a  long 
way,"  said  Greaves,  sadly. 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  archly,  "  it  is  as  far  as  from 
Tenby  to  Valparaiso,  where  my  cousin  Dick  sail- 
ed to  last  year — such  a  handsome  fellow! — and 
there's  Cape  Horn  to  weather.  But  a  good  deal 
depends  on  courage,  and  perseverance."  In  ut- 
tering this  last  remark  she  turned  her  eye 
askant  a  moment,  and  a  flash  shot  out  of  it  that 
lighted  the  sailor's  bonfire  in  a  moment.  "  Oh, 
Miss  Ap  Rice,  do  I  understand  you  ?     Can  I  be 


10  THE    JILT. 

!=o  fortunate  ?  If  courage,  perseverance,  and 
devotion  can  win  you,  no  other  man  shall  ever — 
You  must  have  seen  I  love  you." 

"It  would  be  odd  if  I  had  not,"  said  Ellen, 
blushing  a  little,  and  smiling  slyly.  "  Why,  all 
Tenby  has  seen  it.  You  don't  hide  it  under  a 
bushel." 

The  young  man  turned  red.  "  Then  I  dese^^•e 
a  round  dozen  at  the  gangway,  for  being  so  in- 
delicate." 

"No,  no,"  said  the  young  Welshwoman,  gener- 
ously. "  Why  do  I  prefer  sailors  ?  Because  they 
are  so  frank  and  open  and  artless  and  brave. 
Why,  Mr.  Greaves,  don't  you  be  stupid;  your 
open  admiration  is  a  compliment  to  any  girl; 
and  I  am  proud  of  it,  of  course,"  said  she,  gen- 
tly. 

"  God  bless  you !"  cried  the  young  man. 
"  Now  I  wish  we  were  at  home,  that  I  might  go 
down  on  my  knees  to  you,  without  making  you 
the  town-talk.  Sweet,  lovely,  darling  Ellen,  will 
you  try  and  love  me  ?" 

"Humph!  If  I  had  not  a  great  esteem  for 
you,  should  I  be  here  ?" 

"  Ay,  but  I  am  asking  for  more,"  said  Greaves: 
"  for  your  atTcction,  ami  your  promise  to  wait  for 
me  till  I  am  more  than  a  lieutenant.  I  dare  not 
ask  for  your  hand  till  I  am  a  post-cajjtain  at 


THE    JILT.  11 

least.  Ellen,  sweet  Ellen,  may  I  put  this  on  your 
dear  finger  ?" 

"  Why,  it  is  a  ring.     No.     What  for  ?" 

"  Let  me  put  it  on,  and  then  I'll  tell  you." 

*'  I  declare,  if  he  had  not  got  it  ready  on  pur- 
pose !"  said  she,  laughing,  and  was  so  extremely 
amused  that  she  quite  forgot  to  resist,  and  he 
whipped  it  on  in  a  trice.  It  was  no  sooner  on 
than  she  pulled  a  grave  face,  and  demanded  an 
explanation  of  this  singular  conduct. 

"  It  means  we  are  engaged,"  said  he,  joyfully, 
and  flung  his  cap  into  the  air  a  great  height,  and 
caught  it. 

"A  trap!"  screamed  she.  "Take  it  off  this 
instant." 

"  Must  I  ?"  said  he,  sadly. 

"  Of  course  you  must."  And  she  crooked  her 
finger  instead  of  straightening  it. 

"  It  won't  come  off,"  said  he,  with  more  cun- 
ning than  one  would  have  expected. 

"  No  more  it  will.  Well,  I  must  have  my  fin- 
ger amputated  the  moment  I  get  home.  But 
mind,  I  am  not  to  be  caught  by  such  artifices. 
You  must  ask  papa." 

"So  I  will,"  cried  Greaves,  joyfully.  Then, 
upon  reflection :  "  He'll  wonder  at  my  impu- 
dence." 

"  Oh  no,"  said  Ellen,  demurely ;  "  you  know  he 


12  THE    JILT. 

is  mayor  of  the  town,  and  has  the  drollest  appli- 
cations made  to  him  at  times.     Ha !  ha  !" 

"  How  shall  I  ever  break  it  to  him '?"  said 
Greaves.     "  A  lieutenant !" 

"  Why,  a  lieutenant  is  a  gentleman  ;  and  arc 
you  not  related  to  one  of  the  First  Lords  of  the 
Admiralty  ?" 

"Yes.  But  he  won't  put  me  over  the  heads 
of  my  betters.    All  that  sort  of  thing  is  gone  by." 

"  You  need  not  say  that.  Say  you  are  cousin 
to  the  First  Lord,  and  then  stop.  That  is  the  way 
to  talk  to  a  mayor.  La,  look  at  me,  telling  him 
what  to  say — as  if  I  cared.  There,  now — here 
comes  that  tittling-tattling  Mrs.  Dodslcy,  and  her 
whole  brood  of  children  and  nurses.  She  sha'n't 
see  what  I  am  doing ;"  and  Miss  Ap  Rice  march- 
ed swiftly  into  Merlin's  Cave,  settled  her  skirts, 
and  sat  down  on  a  stone.  "Oh  !"  said  she,  with 
no  great  appearance  of  agitation,  "  what  a  goose 
I  must  be!  This  is  the  last  place  I  ought  to  have 
come  to;  this  is  where  the  lovers  interchange  their 
vows — the  silly  things." 

This  artless  speech — if  artless  it  was — brought 
the  man  on  his  knees  to  her  with  such  an  out- 
burst of  honest  passion  and  eloquent  love  that  her 
cooler  nature  was  moveil  as  it  had  never  been  be- 
fore. She  was  half  frightened,  but  Hattercd  and 
touched  :  she  shed  a  tear  or  two,  and,  though  she 


ij, |i '  1     1 — ' .III I  II  hill  ilihliiuilllhliihlllllllliiilil  1'  A 


15 


drew  away  the  hand  he  was  mumbling,  and  said 
he  oughtn't,  and  he  mustn't,  there  was  nothing 
very  discouraging  in  her  way,  not  even  when  she 
stopped  her  ears  and  said,  "  You  should  say  all 
this  to  papa,"  As  if  one  could  make  as  hot  love 
to  the  mayor  in  his  study  as  to  the  mayor's 
daughter  in  Merlin's  Cave. 

She  was  coy,  and  would  not  stay  long  in  Mer- 
lin's Cave  after  this,  but  said  nothing  about  going 
home ;  so  they  emerged  from  the  cave,  and  stroll- 
ed toward  Giltar  Point. 

Suddenly  there  issued  from  the  Sound,  and 
burst  upon  their  sight,  a  beautiful  yacht,  1.50  tons 
or  so,  cutter-rigged,  bowling  along  before  the 
wind  thirteen  knots  an  hour,  sails  white  as  snow 
and  well  set,  hull  low  and  shapely,  wire  rigging  so 
slim  it  seemed  of  whip-cord  or  mermaids'  hair. 

"Oh,  Arthur!"  cried  Ellen.  "What  a  beau- 
ty!" 

"  And  so  she  is,"  said  he,  heartily.  "  Bless  you 
for  calling  me  'Arthur.'  " 

"  It  shpped  out — by  mistake.  Come  to  the  Cas- 
tle Hill.     I  must  see  her  come  right  in — Arthur." 

Arthur  took  Ellen's  hand,  and  they  hurried  to 
the  Castle  Hill ;  and,  as  they  went,  kept  turning 
their  heads  to  watch  the  yacht's  mana?uvres  ;  for 
a  sailor  never  tires  of  observing  how  this  or  that 
craft  is  handled ;  and  the  arrival  of  a  first-class 
B 


16  THE    JILT. 

yaclit  in  those  fair  but  uneventful  waters  was  very 
exciting  to  Ellen  Ap  Rice. 

The  cutter  gave  8t.  Catherine's  Rock  a  wide 
berth,  and  ran  out  well  to  the  Woolhouse  Reef ; 
then  hauled  up  and  stood  on  the  port  tack,  head- 
ing  for  her  anchorage ;  but  an  eddy  wind  from 
the  North  Cliffs  caught  her,  and  she  broke  off; 
so  she  stood  on  toward  Monkstone  Point ;  then 
came  about  "with  her  berth  well  under  her  lee, 
mistress  of  the  situation,  as  landsmen  say. 

Arthur  kept  explaining  her  mananivres  and  the 
necessity  for  them,  and,  when  she  came  about, 
said  she  was  well-behaved — had  forereached  five 
times  her  length — and  was  smartly  handled  too. 

"Oh  yes,"  said  Ellen;  "a  most  skillful  cap- 
tain, evidently." 

This  was  too  hasty  a  conclusion  for  the  sober 
Greaves.  "  Wait  till  we  see  him  in  a  cyclone, 
with  all  his  canvas  on  that  one  stick,  or  working 
off  a  lee  shore  in  a  nor'wester.  Rut  he  can  han- 
dle a  cutter  in  fair  weather  and  fresh-water,  that 
is  certain." 

"  Fresh-water!"  saiil  Ellen.  "  How  dare  you  ? 
And  don't  mock  people.  I  can't  get  enough 
fresh-water  in  Tenby  to  wash  my  hands." 

"  What,  do  you  want  them  w/utrr  than  snow  ?" 
said  (Jreaves,  gloating  on  them  undisguised. 

*'  Arthur,  behave,  and  lend  me  the  glass." 


TIIE    JILT.  17 

"  There,  dearest." 

So  then  she  inspected  the  vessel,  and  he  in- 
spected the  white  hand  that  held  the  glass.  It 
was  a  binocular ;  for  even  seamen  nowadays  sel- 
dom use  the  short  telescope  of  other  days ;  what 
might  be  called  a  very  powerful  opera-glass  has 
taken  its  place, 

"  Goodness  me !"  screamed  Ellen.  The  con- 
struction of  which  sentence  is  referred  to  peda- 
gogues. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?" 

"  The  captain  is  a  blackamoor." 

Having  satisfied  herself  of  the  revolting  fact 
by  continued  inspection,  she  handed  the  glass  to 
Greaves.     "  See  if  he  isn't,"  said  she. 

Greaves  looked  through  the  glass,  and  took 
leave  to  contradict  her.  "  Blackamoor !  not  he. 
It  is  worse.  It  is  a  gentleman — that  ought  to 
know  better — with  a  beastly  black  beard  right 
down  to  his  waistband." 

"  Oh,  Arthur,  how  horrid  !  and  in  such  a  pretty 
ship !" 

Greaves  smiled  indulgently  at  her  calling  a  cut- 
ter a  "  ship  ;"  but  her  blunders  were  beauties,  he 
was  so  in  love  with  her. 

She  took  the  glass  again,  and  looked  and  talked 
at  the  same  time.  "  I  wonder  what  has  brought 
him  in  here  ?" 


18  THE    JILT. 

*'  To  look  for  a  barber,  I  should  hope." 
"  Arthur — suppose  we  were  to  send  out  the  new 
hair-dresser  to  him  ?     Would  it  npt  be  fuu  ?     Uh  ! 
—oh!— oh!" 

"  What  is  it  now  ?" 

"  A  boat  going  out  to  him.     Well,  I  declare — a 
boatful  of  dignitaries." 
"  Mercy  on  us  !" 

"  Yes ;  I  see  papa,  and  I  see  the  secretary  of 
the  Cambrian  Club,  and  another  gentleman — a 
deputation,  I  do  believe.  No — how  stupid  I  am  ! 
Why,  the  new  arrival  must  be  Mr.  Laxton,  that 
wrote  and  told  papa  he  was  coming;  lie  is  the 
son  of  an  old  friend,  a  ship-builder.  I'apa  is  sure 
to  ask  him  to  dinner;  and  /ask  tjou.  Do  come. 
He  will  be  (piite  a  lion." 

*'  I  am  very  unfortunate.  Can't  possibly  come 
to-day.  (lot  to  dine  on  board  the  ITfltmor,  and 
meet  the  Prince ;  name  down  ;  no  getting  off." 

"  Oh,  what  a  pity  !    It  would  have  been  so  nice ; 
you  and  Captain  Laxton  together." 
"Captain  Laxton?     Who  is  heV" 
"  Why,  the  gentleman  with  the  beard." 
*'  Hang  it  all,  don't  call  him  a  captain." 
"Not  when  he  has  a  ship  of  his  own  ?" 
"So  has  a  collier,  and  the  masfer  of  a  fishing 
higger.     Hcsidcs,  these  swells  are  only  fair-weath- 
er skippers ;  there's  always  a  sailing-master  aboard 


TILE    JILT.  19 

their  vessels  that  takes  the  command  if  it  blows 
a  capful  of  wind." 

"  Indeed  !  then  I  despise  them.  But  I  am  sor- 
T}\yoic  can't  come,  Arthur." 

"  Are  you  really,  love  ?" 

"  You  know  I  am." 

"  Then  that  is  all  I  care  for.  A  dandy  yachts- 
man is  no  lion  to  me." 

"We  ought- to  go  home  now,"  said  Ellen,  "or 
we  shall  not  have  time  to  dress." 

He  had  not  only  to  dress,  but  to  drive  ten  miles ; 
yet  he  went  with  her  to  her  very  door.  He  put 
the  time  to  profit ;  he  got  her  to  promise  every 
thing  short  of  marrying  him  without  papa's  con- 
sent, and,  as  she  was  her  father's  darling,  and  in 
reality  ruled  him,  not  he  her,  that  obstacle  did 
not  seem  insurmountable. 

That  evening  the  master  of  the  yacht  dined  at 
the  mayor's,  and  was  the  lion  of  the  evening. 
His  face  was  rather  handsome,  what  one  could 
see  of  it,  and  his  beard  manly.  He  had  travelled 
and  cruised  for  years,  and  kept  his  eyes  and  ears 
open ;  had  a  great  flow  of  words,  quite  a  turn  for 
narrative,  a  ready  wit,  a  seductive  voice,  and  an 
infectious  laugh.  His  only  drawback  was  a  rest- 
less eye.  Even  that  he  put  to  a  good  use  by  be- 
ing attentive  to  every  body  in  turn.     He  was  ev- 


20  THE    JILT. 

idently  charmed  with  Ellen  Ap  Rice,  but  showed 
it  ill  a  well-bred  way,  and  did  not  alarm  her.  She 
was  a  lovely  girl,  and  accustomed  to  be  openly 
admired. 

Next  day  Arthur  called  on  her,  and  she  told 
him  every  thing,  and  seemed  sorry  to  have  had 
any  pleasure  he  had  not  a  share  in.  "  He  made 
himself  wonderfully  agreeable,"  said  she,  "  espe- 
cially to  papa ;  and,  oh  !  if  you  had  seen  how  his 
beard  wagged  when  he  laughed — ha !  lia !  And, 
what  do  you  think,  the  '  Cambrians'  have  lost  no 
time;  they  have  shot  him  flying,  invited  him  to 
their  Bachelors'  Ball.  Ah,  Arthur,  the  tirst  time 
you  and  I  ever  danced  together  was  at  that  ball, 
a  year  ago.  I  wonder  whether  you  remember? 
Well,  he  asked  me  for  the  first  round  dance." 

"Confound  his  impudence!  ^Vhat  did  you 
say?" 

"  I  said  '  No ;'  I  was  engaged  to  the  Royal  Xavy." 

"  Dear  girl.     And  that  shut  him  up,  I  hope." 

"  Dear  me,  no.  lie  is  too  good-humored  to  Ijo 
cross  because  a  strange  girl  was  bespoke  before 
he  came ;  he  just  laughed,  and  asked  might  he 
follow  in  its  wake." 

"  And  you  said  '  Yes.'  " 

"  No,  I  did  not,  now.  And  you  need  not  look 
so  cross,  for  there  would  have  been  no  harm  if  I 
liad ;  but  what  I  did  say  was  not  '  yes,'  but '  hum,' 


THE    JILT.  21 

and  I  would  consult  my  memoranda.  Never  you 
mind  who  I  dance  with,  Mr.  Arthur ;  their  name 
is  legion.  "Wait  till  you  catch 'me  parading  the 
sands  with  the  creatures,  and  catching  cold  with 
them  in  Merlin's  Cave." 

"  My  own  love.  Come  on  the  sands  now ;  it 
is  low  water,  and  a  glorious  day." 

"  You  dear  goose  !"  said  Ellen.  "  What,  ask  a 
lady  out  when  it  is  only  one  clear  day  before  a 
ball  ?  Why,  I  am  invisible  to  every  creature  but 
you  at  this  moment,  and  even  you  can  only  stay 
till  she  comes." 

"She?     Who?" 

"  Why,  the  dress-maker,  to  be  sure.  Talk  of 
the — dress-maker,  and  there's  her  knock." 

"  Must  I  go  this  moment  ?" 

"  Oh  no.  Let  them  open  the  door  to  her  first. 
But  of  course  it  is  no  use  your  staying  while  she 
is  here.  We  shall  be  hours  and  hours  making 
up  our  minds.  Besides,  we  shall  be  up  stairs,  try- 
ing on  things.  Arthur,  don't  look  so.  Why,  the 
ball  will  be  here  with  awful  rapidity  ;  and  I'll 
dance  with  you  three  times  out  of  four ;  I'll  dance 
you  down  on  the  floor,  my  sailor  bold.  I  never 
knew  a  Welsh  girl  yet  couldn't  dance  an  En- 
glishman into  a  cocked  hat :  now  that's  vulgar.''^ 

"  Xot  as  you  speak  it,  love.  Whatever  comes 
from  your  lips  is  Poetry,    I  wish  you  could  dance 


me  into  a  cocked  hat  and  two  epaulets ;  for  it  is 
not  in  nature  nor  reason  you  should  ever  marry 
a  lieutenant."     • 

"  It  will  be  his  fault  if  I  don't,  then." 

The  door  was  rattled  discreetly,  and  then  open- 
ed, by  old  Dewar,  butler,  footman,  and  chatter- 
box of  the  establishment.  "  The  dress-maker, 
miss." 

"  Well,  let  Agnes  take  her  up  stairs." 

"  Yes,  miss." 

Greaves  thought  it  Avas  mere  selfishness  to 
stay  any  longer  now ;  so  he  bade  her  good-by. 

But  she  would  not  let  him  go  away  sad.  She 
tried  to  console  him.  " Surely,"  said  she,  "you 
would  wish  me  to  look  well  in  public.  It  is  the 
ball  of  Tenby.  I  want  you  to  be  proud  of  your 
prize,  and  not  find  you  have  captured  a  dowdy." 

The  woman  of  society  and  her  reasons  failed 
to  comfort  Lieutenant  Greaves ;  so  then,  as  she 
was  not  a  girl  to  accept  defeat,  she  tried  the 
woman  of  nature:  she  came  nearer  him,  and 
said,  earnestly,  "Only  one  day,  Arthur!  Spare 
me  the  pain  of  seeing  you  look  unhappy."  In 
saying  this,  very  tenderly,  she  laid  her  hand  soft- 
ly on  his  arm,  and  turned  her  lovely  face  and 
two  beautiful  eyes  full  up  to  him. 

A  sweet  inarticulate  sound  ensuetl,  and  he  did 
spare  her  the  i)aiu  of  seeing  him  look  unhappy ; 


THE   JILT.  23 

for  he  went  off  flushed  and  with  very  sparkling 
eyes. 

Surely  female  logic  has  been  underrated  up  to 
the  date  of  this  writing. 

Greaves  went  away,  the  happiest  lieutenant  in 
the  Royal  Navy,  and  content  to  kill  time  till  the 
ball  day.  He  dined  at  the  club  ;  smoked  a  cigar 
on  the  Castle  Hill,  and  entered  his  lodgings  just 
as  the  London  day  mail  was  delivered.  There 
was  a  paper  parallelogram  for  him,  with  a  seal 
as  big  as  the  face  of  a  chronometer.  Order  from 
the  Admiralty  to  join  the  Redoubtable  at  Ports- 
mouth— for  disposal.  Private  note,  by  the  secre- 
tary, advising  him  to  lose  no  time,  as  he  might  be 
appointed  flag -lieutenant  to  the  Centaur,  admi- 
ral's  ship  on  the  China  station,  from  which  quick 
promotion  was  sure  to  follow  in  the  ordinary 
course  of  the  service. 

Before  he  knew  Ellen  Ap  Rice  his  heart  would 
have  bounded  with  exultation  at  this  bright  pros- 
pect ;  but  now  that  heart  seemed  cut  in  two ;  one 
half  glowed  with  ambition,  the  other  sickened  at 
the  very  thought  of  leaving  Ellen,  half  won.  But 
those  who  serve  the  nation  may  doubt  and  fear, 
but  have  parted  with  the  right  to  vacillate.  There 
was  but  one  thing  to  do — start  for  London  by  the 
fast  train  next  morning  at  10  a.m. 

He  sent  a  hurried  note  to  Ellen,  by  messenger, 


"24  THE    JILT. 

telling  her  what  had  occurred,  and  imploring  an 
interview.  Ills  messenger  Ijrought  him  back  a 
prompt  reply.  Papa  was  going  to  Cardiff  in  the 
morning  on  business ;  would  breakfast  at  half 
past  eight  precisely.  He  must  invite  himself  to 
breakast  that  night,  and  come  at  eight. 

He  did  so,  and  Ellen  came  down  directly,  with 
the  tear  in  her  eye.  They  comforted  each  other, 
agreed  to  look  on  it  as  a  sure  step  to  a  creditable 
union,  and^  meantime,  lessen  the  separation  by  a 
quick  tire  of  letters.  He  would  write  from  every 
port  he  landed  in,  and  would  have  a  letter  for 
every  homeward-bound  ship  they  brought  to  out 
at  sea,  and  she  would  greet  him  with  a  letter  at 
every  i)ort. 

When  they  had  duly  sealed  this  compact,  the 
mayor  came  in,  ami  tliat  kept  them  butli  within 
bounds. 

But  (Jreaves's  prospect  of  promotion  was  dis- 
cussed, and  the  mayor  showeil  a  paternal  inter- 
est, and  said,  "Come  back  to  Tenby  a  captain, 
and  we  shall  all  be  proud  of  you,  shall  we  not, 
Nelly?" 

When  a  father  says  so  much  as  that  to  a  young 
fellow  who  has  been  openly  courting  his  daugh- 
ter, it  hardly  bears  two  meanings ;  and  Greaves 
went  away,  brave  and  buoyant,  and  the  sting 
takeu  out  of  the  inopportune  parting. 


THE    JILT.  25 

He  was  soon  at  Portsmouth,  and  aboard  the 
Redoubtable. 

He  was  appointed  flag-lieutenant  on  board  the 
Centaur,  then  lying  at  ^pithead,  bound  on  a  two 
years'  voyage.  Under  peculiar  circumstances  she 
was  to  touch  at  Lisbon,  Madeira,  and  the  Cape ; 
but  her  destination  was  Hong-Kong,  where  she 
was  to  lie  for  some  time  in  command  of  the  station. 

Xext  morning  a  letter  from  Ellen  ;  he  kissed 
it  devotedly  before  he  opened  it.  After  some 
kind  things,  that  were  bahii  to  him,  she  seemed 
to  gravitate  toward  that  great  event  in  a  girl's 
life,  the  ball :  "  I  did  so  miss  you,  dear  ;  and  that 
impudent  Mr.  Laxton  had  the  first  dance — for  of 
course  I  never  thought  of  putting  any  body  in 
your  place — but  he  would  not  give  up  the  second 
any  more  for  that.  He  said  I  had  promised.  Oh, 
and  he  asked  me  if  I  would  honor  his  yacht  with 
my  presence,  and  he  would  take  me  a  cruise  round 
Sunday  Island.  I  said, '  Xo  ;  I  was  a  bad  sailor.' 
'  Oh,'  said  he, '  we  will  wait  for  a  soldier's  wind.' 
What  is  a  '  soldier's  wind  ?'  When  I  would  not 
consent,  he  got  papa  by  himself,  and  papa  con- 
sented directly  for  both  of  us.  I  can  not  bear 
such  impudent  men  that  will  not  take  a  'no.'  " 

Arthur  wrote  back  very  affectionately,  but 
made  a  point  of  her  not  sailing  in  Laxton's  yacht. 
It  was  not  proper ;  nor  prudent.    The  wind  might 


26  TIIE    JILT. 

fall ;  the  yacht  be  out  all  night ;  and,  in  any  case, 
the  man  was  a  stranger,  of  whom  they  knew  noth- 
ing, but  that  his  appearance  was  wild  and  disrep- 
utable, and  that  he  was  a  mere  cruiser  and  a  man 
of  pleasure.  He  hoped  his  Ellen  would  make 
this  little  sacrifice  to  his  feelings.  This  was  his 
one  remonstrance. 

Ellen  replied  to  it :  "  You  dear,  jealous  goose, 
did  you  think  I  would  go  on  board  his  yacht  the 
only  lady  ?  Of  course  there  was  a  large  party; 
and  you  should  have  seen  the  Miss  Frumps,  and 
that  Agnes  IJarker,  how  they  flung  themselves  at 
his  head ;  it  was  disgusting.  But  don't  you  worry 
about  the  man,  dear.  I  am  sorry  I  told  you.  We 
were  back  to  ilinner." 

Then  the  fair  writer  went  oil'  to  other  things; 
but  there  was  a  postscript : 

"Captain  Laxton  has  called  to  bid  good-by, 
and  his  beautiful  yacht  is  just  sailing  out  of  the 
roads." 

As  what  little  interest  there  is  in  this  part  of 
the  story  centres  in  Miss  Ap  Kice's  letters,  I  will 
just  say  that  (Jreaves  had  one  from  her  at  Lisbon 
which  gave  him  unmixed  pleasure.  It  was  long 
and  kind,  though  not  so  gay  as  usual.  As  for 
this  Laxton,  he  appeared  to  have  faded  out  en- 
tirely, for  siie  never  mentioned  his  name. 


THE    JILT.  27 

At  Madeira  Greaves  received  a  letter  shorter 
and  more  sprightly.  In  a  postscript  she  said : 
*'  Who  do  you  thiuk  has  fallen  down  from  the 
clouds?  That  Mr.  Laxton,  without  his  yacht. 
We  asked  hina  what  had  become  of  her.  '  Con- 
demned,' said  he,  solemnly.  '  In  the  Levant,  a 
Greek  brig  outsailed  her  ;  in  the  Channel  here,  a 
French  lugger  lay  nearer  the  wind.  After  that, 
no  more  cutters  for  me.'  We  think  he  is  a  little 
cracked.  That  odious  Agnes  Barker  will  not  let 
him  alone.     I  never  saw  such  a  shameless  flirt." 

The  ship  lay  eight  days  at  Madeira,  and  on  the 
seventh  day  he  received  another  letter,  begging 
him  to  come  home  as  soon  as  possible,  for  she 
was  subject  to  downright  persecution  from  Cap- 
tain Laxton  ;  and  her  father  was  much  too  easy. 
For  the  first  time  in  her  life  she  really  felt  the 
need  of  a  protector. 

This  letter  set  Greaves  almost  wild.  She  want- 
ed him  back  to  protect  her  now,  and  he  bound 
for  the  East,  and  could  not  hope  to  see  her  for 
two  years. 

Nothing  for  it  but  to  pace  the  deck  and  rage 
internally.  Xo  fresh  advices  possible  before  the 
Cape.  He  couldn't  sleep,  and  tliis  operated  cu- 
riously :  he  passed  for  a  supernaturally  vigilant 
lieutenant. 

There  was  a  commander  on  board,  a  sprig  of 


28  THE    J  ILL 

nobility,  a  charming  fellow,  but  rather  an  easy- 
going olficei- ;  he  used  to  wonder  at  Greaves,  and, 
having  the  admiral's  ear,  praised  him  for  a  mod- 
el. "  The  beggar  never  sleeps  at  all,"  said  he. 
"  1  thiidv  he  will  kill  himself." 

"  lie  will  be  the  only  one  of  ye,"  growled  the 
admiral.  But  he  took  notice  of  Greaves — all  the 
more  that  a  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  who  was  his 
personal  friend,  had  said  a  word  for  him  in  one 
of  those  meek  postscripts  which  mean  so  much 
when  written  by  the  hand  of  power. 

At  last  they  reached  the  Cape,  and  dropped 
anchor. 

The  mail-boat  came  out  with  letters. 

There  was  none  for  Greaves. 

No  letter  at  all !  The  deck  seemed  to  rise  un- 
der him,  and  he  had  to  hold  on  by  the  forcbraces ; 
and  even  that  was  as  much  as  lu?  could  do,  being 
somewhat  weakened  by  sleepless  nights.  Several 
otticers  came  round  him,  and  the  ship's  surgeon 
applied  salts  and  brandy,  and  he  recovered,  but 
looked  very  wild.  Then  the  surgeon  atlvised  him 
to  go  ashore  for  a  change.  Leave  was  granteil 
innnediatcly,  and  the  second  lieutenant  went  with 
him  good-naturedly  enough.  They  made  inqui- 
ries, and  fouiul  another  mail  was  due  in  two  days. 
They  took  up  their  (piarters  at  a  hotel,  and  there 
Greaves  was  so  wretched,  and  his  companion  so 


THE   JILT.  29 

sympathetic,  that  at  last  the  tormented  lover  made 
a  confidant  of  him. 

"  Oh,  it  will  be  all  right,"  said  the  other. 
"  Why  should  she  want  you  home,  if  she  liked 
that  lubber?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  poor  Greaves.  "  The  last 
letter  was  not  like  her — such  a  high-spirited  girl ; 
and  it  looked  as  if  he  was  getting  her  into  his 
power.  If  he  has,  all  the  worse  for  both  of  us ; 
for  the  day  I  catch  him  I  shall  kill  him." 

Next  day  the  mail  came  in ;  and  as  Greaves 
had  left  his  address  at  the  post-office,  a  letter 
was  brought  him,  all  wetted  and  swollen  with 
rain,  the  boy  having  carried  it  without  the  least 
attempt  to  protect  it  from  a  thick  drizzle  that 
enveloped  the  town  that  day. 

Greaves  tore  it  open.  It  was  fatally  short.  This 
is  every  syllable  of  it : 

"Forget  one  unworthy  of  you.  I  can  resist  no 
longer.  I  am  fascinated.  I  am  his  slave,  and 
must  follow  him  round  the  world.  Perhaps  he 
will  revenge  you. 

"  Dear  Arthur,  I  did  not  mean  to  deceive.  I 
am  but  young ;  I  thought  I  loved  you  as  you  de- 
serve.    Pray,  pray  forgive  me.  E." 

Suspense,  the  worst  of  all  our  tortures,  was 


30  THE   JILT. 

over ;  the  l)lo\v  had  fallen.  Arthur  Greaves  was 
a  man  again. 

"  Yes,  I  forgive  you,  my  poor  girl,"  he  groaned. 
"But"  (with  sudden  fury)  "I'll  kill  /am." 

He  told  his  friend  it  was  all  over,  and  e\'en 
gave  him  the  letter.  "It  is  not  her  fault,"  he 
sobbed.  "  The  fellow  has  cast  a  spell  over  her. 
No  more  about  it,  or  I  should  soon  go  mad." 

And,  from  that  hour,  he  endured  in  silence, 
and  checked  all  return  to  the  subject  very  sternly. 

But  his  friend  talked,  and  told  the  other  officers 
how  Greaves  had  been  jilted,  and  was  breaking 
his  heart ;  and  he  looked  so  ghastly  pale  that  alto- 
gether he  met  with  much  honest  sympathy.  Tlie 
very  admiral  was  sorry,  in  his  way.  He  had  met 
him  in  the  street,  looking  like  a  ghost,  and  his 
uniform  hanging  loose  on  him,  his  stalwart  form 
was  so  shrunk.  "  Confound  the  women !"  growl- 
e<i  the  old  boy  to  his  favorite,  the  commander. 
"  There's  the  best  officer  in  the  ship,  a  lirst-class 
mathematician,  an  able  navigator,  a  good  seaman, 
and  a  practical  gunner,  laid  low  l)y  some  young 
bitch  not  worth  his  little  finger,  I'll  be  bound." 

Ne.xt  day  he  sent  for  the  young  man. 

"  Lcttenant  Greaves !" 

"  Sir." 

"  Here's  a  transport  going  home,  and  nobody 
to  command  her.     They  have  come  to  me.     I 


THE   JILT.  31 

thought  of  sending  the  second  lettenant ;  it  would 
have  been  more  convenient ;  for,  by  Jove !  Sir, 
when  you  are  gone,  I  may  have  to  sail  the  ship 
myself.  However,  I  have  altered  my  mind — you 
will  take  the  troops  to  Plymouth." 

"  Yes,  admiral." 

"  Then  you'd  better  take  a  fortnight  ashore,  for 
your  health.     You  are  very  ill,  Sir." 

"  Thank  you,  admiral." 

*'  Come  out  to  Hong-Kong  how  you  can.  You 
:an  apply  to  the  Admiralty  for  your  expenses,  if 
you  think  it  is  any  usey 

Greaves's  eye  flashed  and  his  pale  cheek  col- 
Dred. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  said  the  admiral,  "  I  sec  these  in- 
structions are  not  so  disagreeable  as  they  ought 
.0  be.  A  steam-tug  and  a  cargo  of  lobsters !  But 
•Qu  must  listen  to  me :  an  honest  sailor  like  you 
s  no  match  for  these  girls ;  it  is  not  worth  your 
vhile  to  be  sick  or  sorry  for  any  one  of  them. 
There !  there !  send  your  traps  aboard  the  tub, 
.nd  clear  the  harbor  of  her  as  soon  as  you  can. 
jhe  is  under  your  orders,  Sir." 

"God  bless  you,  admiral !"  sobbed  Greaves,  and 
etii;ed  all  in  a  hurry,  partly  to  hide  his  emotions, 
nd  partly  because  it  is  not  usual,  in  the  service, 
0  bless  one's  superiors  to  their  faces.  It  is  more 
be  etiquette  to  curse  them  behind  their  backs. 
C 


32  THE  JILT. 

Now  was  Greaves  a  new  man.  Light  shone  in 
his  eye,  vigor  returned  to  his  limbs ;  this  most 
unexpected  stroke  of  good  fortune  put  another 
face  on  things.  He  had  the  steamboat  coaled 
and  victualed  with  unheard-of  expedition,  got  the 
troops  on  board,  and  steamed  away  for  Ply- 
mouth. 

They  had  fair  weather,  and  his  hopes  rose. 
After  all,  Ellen  could  hardly  have  taken  any  ir- 
retrievable step.  She  had  never  denied  his  claim 
on  her ;  a  good  liekuig  bestowed  on  Lax  ton  might 
break  the  spell,  and  cool  his  ardor  into  the  bar- 
gain. He  felt  sure  he  could  win  her  back  some- 
how. He  had  been  out  of  sight  when  this  fellow 
succeeded  in  deluding  her.  But  now  he  should 
get  fair  play. 

He  landed  the  troops  at  Plymouth,  and  made' 
his  report ;  then  off  to  Tenby  at  once.  He  went 
straight  to  the  mayor's  house.  A  girl  opened 
the  door. 

"Miss  Ap  Rice?" 

"She  don't  live  here,  Sir,  now.  Lawk!  it  is 
Captain  Greaves.  Come  in,  Sir,  and  PIl  send  Mr. 
Dewar." 

Greaves  went  in,  full  of  misgivings,  and  satj 
down  in  the  dining-room. 

Presently  Dewar  came — a  white-haired  old  fell 
low,  who  had  been  at  sea  in  early  life,  but  was 


THE   JILT.  33 

now  the  mayor's  factotum,  and  allowed  hlmseli' 
great  liberties. 

He  came  in,  open-mouthed.  "Ah,  Captain 
Greaves,  it  is  a  bad  business.  I'm  a'most  sorry 
to  see  you  here.  Gone,  Sir,  gone,  and  we  shall 
never  see  her  again,  I'm  afraid." 

"  Gone  !  What !  run  away — with  that  scoun- 
drel ?" 

"  Well,  Sir,  it  did  look  like  running  away,  be- 
ing so  sudden.  But  it  was  a  magnificent  wed- 
jding,  for  that  matter,  and  they  left  in  a  special 
steamer,  with  a  gilt  starn,  and  the  flags  of  all 
pations  a-flying." 

"  Married  ?" 

"  You  may  well  be  surprised,  Sir.  But,  for  as 
sudden  as  it  was,  I  seen  it  a-coming.  You  see, 
Sir,  he  was  always  at  her,  morning,  noon,  and 
night.  He'd  have  tired  out  a  saint,  leastways  a 
female  one.  Carriage  and  four  to  take  her  to 
ome  blessed  old  ruin  or  other.  SJie  didn't  care 
for  the  ruin,  but  she  couldn't  withstand  the  four 
horses,  which  they  are  seldom  seen  in  Tenb)'. 
Flowers  every  day ;  Hindia  shawls ;  dimond  neck- 
lace; a  wheedling  tongue;  and  a  beard  Uke  a 
I^hristmas  fir.  I  blame  that  there  beard  for  it. 
Ye  see,  captain,  these  young  ladies  never  speaks 
;,heir  real  minds  about  them  beards.  Lying  comes 
tiatural  to  them;  and  so,  to  flatter  a  clean,  re- 


o-l  TUB    JILT. 

spectable  body  like  you  or  mo,  they  makes  pre- 
tend, and  calls  beards  ojious.  And  so  they  arc. 
That  there  Laxton,  his  beard  supped  my  soup  for 
a  wager  agin  his  belly ;  and  with  him  chattering 
so,  he'd  forget  to  wipe  it  for  ever  so  long.  Sarved 
him  right  if  I'd  brought  him  a  basin  and  a  towel 
before  all  the  company.  But  these  young  ladies, 
they  don't  vally  that.  What  they  looks  for  in  a 
man  is  to  be  the  hopposite  of  a  woman.  They 
hates  and  despises  their  own  sect.  So  what  they 
loves  in  a  man  is  hunblushing  himpudence  and  a 
long  beiird.  The  more  they  complains  of  a  man's 
brass,  the  more  they  likes  it ;  and  as  for  a  beard, 
they'd  have  him  look  like  a  beast,  so  as  he  looked 
very  onlike  a  woman,  which  a  beard  it  is.  I3ut 
if  they  once  fingers  one  of  them  beards,  it  is  all 
up  with  'em.  And  tiiat  is  how  I  knew  what  was 
coming ;  for  one  day  I  was  at  my  pantry  window, 
a-cleaning  my  silver,  when  miss  and  him  was  in 
the  little  garden  ;  seated  on  one  bench  they  was, 
and  not  fur  off  one  another  neither,  lie  was 
a-rcading  poetry  to  her,  and  his  head  so  near  her 
that  I'm  blest  if  his  tarnation  beard  wasn't  al- 
most in  her  lap.  Her  eyes  was  turned  up  to 
Leaven  in  a  kind  of  trance,  a-tasting  of  the  po- 
etry ;  but  whiles  she  was  a-looking  up  to  heaven 
for  tiie  meaning  of  that  there  sing-song,  blest  if 
her  little  white  lingers  wasn't  twistin;:  the  ends 


THE   JILT.  35 

of  that  there  beard  into  little  ringlets,  without 
seeming  to  know  what  they  was  doing.  Soon  as 
I  saw  that,  I  said, '  Here's  a  go.  It  is  all  up  with 
Captain  Greaves.  He  have  limed  her,  this  here 
cockney  sailor.'  For  if  ever  a  woman  plays  with 
a  man's  curls,  or  his  whiskers,  or  his  beard,  she 
is  netted  like  a  partridge.  It  is  a  sure  sign.  So 
should  we  be  if  the  women's  hair  was  loose ;  but 
they  has  so  much  mercy  as  to  tie  it  up,  and  make 
it  as  hugly  as  they  can,  and  full  o'  pins,  and  that 
saves  many  a  man  from  being  netted  and  caged 
and  all.    So  soon  arter  that  she  named  the  day." 

Greaves  sat  dead  silent  under  this  flow  of  en- 
venomed twaddle,  like  a  Spartan  under  the  knife. 
But  at  last  he  could  bear  it  no  longer.  He  groan- 
ed aloud,  and  buried  his  contorted  face  in  his 
hands. 

"  Confound  my  chattering  tongue !"  said  honest 
Dewar,  and  ran  to  the  sideboard  and  forced  a 
glass  of  brandy  on  him.  He  thanked  him,  and 
drank  it,  and  told  him  not  to  mind  him,  but  to 
tell  him  where  she  was  settled  with  the  fellow. 

"  Settled,  Sir  ?"  said  Dewar.  "  Xo  such  luck. 
IShe  writes  to  her  papa  every  week,  but  it  is  al- 
ways from  some  fresh  place.  '  Dewar,'  says  his 
worship  to  me, '  I've  married  my  girl  to  the  Wan- 
dering Jew.'  Oh,  he  don't  hide  his  mind  from 
me.     He  tells  me  that  this  Laxton  have  had  a 


36  THE   JILT. 

ship  built  in  the  north,  a  thundering  big  ship — 
for  he's  as  rich  as  Creeses — and  he  have  launched 
her  to  sail  round  the  world.  My  fear  is  he  will 
sail  her  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean." 

"  Poor  Ellen !" 

"  Captain,  captain,  don't  fret  your  heart  out  for 
her;  she  is  all  right.  She  loves  the  man,  and 
she  loves  hexcitement ;  which  he  will  give  it  her. 
She'd  have  had  a  ball  here  every  week  if  she 
could;  and  now  she  Till  see  a  new  port  every 
week.  She  is  all  right.  Let  her  go  her  own  road. 
She  broke  her  troth  to  do  it ;  and  we  don't  think 
much,  in  "Wales,  of  girls  as  do  that,  be  they  gentle 
or  be  they  simple,  look  you." 

Greaves  looked  up,  and  said,  sternly,  "  Xot  one 
word  against  her  before  me.  I  have  borne  all  I 
can." 

Old  Dewar  wasn't  a  bit  offended.  "  Ah,  you 
arc  a  man,  you  are,"  said  he.  Then,  in  a  cordial 
way,  "  Captain  Greaves,  Sir,  you  will  stay  with  us, 
now  you  are  come." 

"  Me  stay  here !" 

*'  Ay ;  why  not  ?  Ye  mustn't  bear  spite  against 
the  old  man.  lie  stood  out  for  you  longer  than 
I  ever  knowed  him  to  stand  out  against  her.  But 
she  could  always  talk  him  over;  she  could  talk 
any  body  over.  It  is  all  haccident  my  standing 
so  true  to  you.    It  wasn't  worth  her  while  to  talk 


THE   JILT.  37 

old  Dewar  over ;  that  is  the  reason.  Do  je  stay, 
now.  You'll  be  like  a  son  to  the  old  man,  look 
you.  He  is  sadly  changed  since  she  went — quite 
melancholy,  and  keeps  a-blaming  of  hisself  for 
letting  her  be  master." 

'' Dewar,"  said  the  young  man,  "I  can  not. 
The  sight  of  the  places  where  I  walked  with  her, 
and  loved  her,  and  she  seemed  to  love  me — oh 
no ! — to  London  by  the  first  train,  and  then  to 
sea.  Thank  God  for  the  sea !  The  sea  can  not 
change  into  lying  land.  My  heart  has  been  bro- 
ken ashore.  Perhaps  it  may  recover  in  a  few 
years,  at  sea.  Give  him  my  love,  Dewar,  and 
God  bless  you  ! 

He  almost  ran  out  of  the  house,  and  fixed  his 
eyes  on  the  ground,  to  see  no  more  objects  imbit- 
tcred  by  recollections  of  happiness  fled.  He 
made  his  way  to  his  uncle  in  London,  reported 
himself  to  the  Admiralty,  and  asked  for  a  berth 
in  the  first  ship  bound  to  China.  He  was  told, 
in  reply,  he  could  go  out  in  any  merchant  ship ; 
but  as  his  pay  would  not  be  interrupted,  the 
government  could  not  be  chargeable  for  his  ex- 
penses. 

In  spite  of  a  dizzy  headache,  he  went  into  the 
City  next  day  to  arrange  for  his  voyage. 

But  at  night  he  was  taken  with  violent  shiver- 
ins:,  and  before  morning  was  light-headed. 


38  THE   JILT. 

A  doctor  was  sent  for  in  the  morning. 

Next  day  the  case  was  so  serious  that  a  second 
was  called  in. 

The  case  declared  itself — gastric  fever  and 
jaundice. 

They  administered  medicines,  which,  as  usual 
in  these  cases,  did  the  stomach  a  little  harm,  and 
the  system  no  good. 

His  uncle  sent  for  a  third  physician  ;  a  rough 
but  very  able  man.  He  approved  all  the  others 
had  done — and  did  the  very  reverse ;  ordered  him 
a  milk  diet,  tepid  aspersions,  frequent  change  of 
bed  and  linen,  and  no  medicine  at  all,  but  a  little 
bark  ;  and  old  Scotch  whiskey  in  moderation. 

"  Tell  me  the  truth,"  said  his  sorrowful  uncle. 

"  I  always  do,"  said  the  doctor,  "  that  is  why 
they  call  me  a  brute.  Well,  Sir,  the  case  is  not 
hopeless  yd.  But  I  will  not  deceive  you  ;  I  fear 
he  is  going  a  longer  voyage  than  China." 

So  may  the  mind  destroy  the  body,  and  the 
Samson,  who  can  conquer  a  host,  be  laid  low  by 
a  woman. 


89 


PART  II. 

Youth,  a  good  constitution,  good  nursing,  the 
right  food  and  drink,  and  no  medicine,  saved  the 
life  of  Arthur  Greaves.  But  gastric  fever  and 
jaundice  are  terrible  foes  to  attack  a  man  in  con- 
cert ;  they  left  him  as  unlike  the  tanned  and  rud- 
dy seaman  of  our  first  scene,  as  the  wrecked  ship 
battered  against  the  shore  is  to  the  same  vessel 
when  she  breasted  the  waves  under  canvas.  His 
hair  was  but  half  an  inch  Ipng,  his  grizzly  beard 
two  inches ;  and  his  sunken  cheeks  as  yellow  as 
saffron.  They  told  him  he  was  out  of  danger, 
and  offered  him  a  barber  to  shave  his  chin — the 
same  that  had  shaved  his  head  a  fortnight  be- 
fore. 

"Xo,"  said  the  convalescent;  "not  such  a 
fool." 

He  explained  to  his  uncle,  in  private:  "I  have 
lost  my  Ellen  for  want  of  a  beard.  I  won't  lose 
another  that  way,  if  I  ever  have  one." 

lie  turned  his  now  benumbed  heart  toward  his 
profession,  and  pined  for  blue  water.  His  phy- 
sician approved ;  and  so,  though  still  weakish  and 
yellowish,  he  shipped,  as  passenger,  in  the  Phcebe, 
bound  for  Bombay  and  China,  and  went  on  board 


40  THE    JILT. 

at  Gravescnd.  She  was  registered  nine  hundred 
tons,  and  carried  out  a  mixed  cargo  of  hardware 
and  Manchester  goods,  including  flaming  cottons 
got  up  only  for  the  East,  where  Englishmen  ad- 
mire them  for  their  Oriental  color.  She  was 
well  manned  at  starting,  and  ably  commanded 
from  first  to  last  by  Captain  Curtis  and  six  of- 
ficers. The  first  mate,  Mr.  Lewis,  was  a  very  ex- 
perienced seaman,  and  quite  a  friendship  sprang 
up  between  him  and  Flag-Lieutenant  Greaves. 
The  second  mate,  Castor,  was  an  amiable  dare- 
devil, but  had  much  to  learn  in  navigation,  though 
in  mere  seamanship  he  was  well  enough.  Fortu- 
nately he  knew  his  deficiencies,  and  was  teachable. 
A  prosperous  voyage  is  an  uneventful  one;  and 
there  never  was  a  more  humdrum  voyage  than  the 
Phoebe' a  from  Gravescnd  to  Bombay.  She  was 
towed  from  Gravescnd  to  Deal,  where  an  easterly 
wind  sprang  up,  and,  increasing,  carried  her  past 
the  "Lizard,"  and  out  of  sight  of  land  ;  soon  aft- 
er that  the  wind  veered  a  point  or  two  to  the 
northward.  She  sighted  Madeira  on  the  seventh 
day,  and  got  the  N.E.  Trades;  they  carried  her 
two  degrees  north  of  the  line.  Between  that  and  1 
2  S.  she  fell  into  the  Doldrums.  But  she  got  the 
S.E.  Trade  sooner  than  usual,  and  made  the  best 
of  it ;  set  the  foretop-mast  studding-sail,  and  went 
Q  little  out  of  her  course.     At  34  S.  she  got  into 


THE    JILT.  41 

the  steady  nor'wester,  and,  in  due  course,  anchored 
in  Table  Bay. 

The  diamond  fever  being  at  its  height,  several 
hands  deserted  her  at  the  Cape.  But  she  had  fair 
weather,  and  reached  Bombay  without  any  inci- 
dent worth  recording.  By  this  time  Greaves  had 
put  on  flesh  and  color,  and  though  his  heart  had 
a  scar  that  often  smarted,  it  bled  no  longer ;  and 
is  to  his  appearance,  he  was  himself  again,  all 
aut  a  long  and  very  handsome  beard: 

At  Bombay  the  Phoebe  landed  part  of  her  cargo, 
md  all  her  passengers ;  but  took  a  few  fresh 
)nes  on  board  for  China — a  Portuguese  merchant 
)Ound  for  Macao,  and  four  ladies,  two  of  them 
)fiicers'  wives  returning  to  their  husbands,  and 
wo  spinsters  going  out  to  join  their  relatives  at 
long-Kong.  They  were  all  more  or  less  pretty 
md  intelligent,  and  brightened  the  ship  amazing- 
yet  one  day  every  man  in  her  wished,  with  all 
lis  soul,  every  one  of  those  ladies  was  out  of  her. 
)he  also  shipped  forty  Lascars,  to  make  up  for 
wenty  white  men  she  had  lost  by  death  and  de- 
ertion. 

The  Phoebe  had  fair  weather  to  Penang,  and  for 
ome  time  after,  but  not  enough  of  it.  However, 
fter  the  usual  bother  in  the  Straits  of  Malacca, 
he  got  clear,  and  cariieJ  a  light  breeze  with  her. 
Captain  Curtis  feared  it  would  be  down  sun,  down 


42  THE    JILT. 

wind ;  but  the  breeze  held  through  the  fii-st  and 
greater  part  of  the  second  watch ;  and  then,  sure 
enough,  it  fell  dead  calm. 

Mr,  Lewis  had  the  morning  watch ;  the  ropes 
were  coiled  up  at  one  bell,  the  whip  rigged,  the 
deck  wetted  and  sanded,  and  they  were  holy-ston- 
ing it  when  day  began  to  break.  Then  there 
loomed  the  black  outline  of  a  strange  sail  lying 
on  the  Phiebes  port  beam,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off. 
The  sun  soon  gets  his  full  power  in  that  latitude, 
and  in  a  minute  the  vessel  burst  out  quite  clear, 
a  topsail  schooner  of  some  four  hundred  tons, 
with  a  long  snaky  hull,  taunt,  raking  masts,  and 
black  mast-heads,  every  thing  very  trig  alow  and 
aloft,  sails  extremely  white  ;  she  carried  five  guns 
of  large  calibre  on  each  side. 

Lewis  reported  her  to  the  captain  directly,  and 
he  came  on  deck.  They  both  examined  her  with 
their  glasses.     She  puzzled  them. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  her,  Lewis  ?  Looks 
like  a  Yankee." 

*'So  I  thought.  Sir,  till  I  saw  her  armament." 

Here  Greaves  joined  them,  and  the  captain 
turned  toward  him,  "  Can  she  be  one  of  your 
China  squadron?" 

"  Hardly,  unless  the  admiral  has  a  schooner  for 
his  tender ;  and,  if  so,  she  would  be  under  a  pen- 
nant," 


THE  JILT,  43 

Lewis  suggested  she  might  be  a  Portugueso 
jchooner  loolcing  out  for  pirates. 

Captain  Curtis  said  she  might,  and  he  should 
ike  to  know;  so  he  ordered  the  driver  to  be 
Draileil  up,  and  the  ship's  colors  hoisted. 

The  next  moment  it  was  eight  bells,  and  pipe 
:o  breakfast.  But  Captain  Curtis  and  his  com- 
^anions  remained  on  deck  to  see  the  stranger 
loist  her  colors  in  reply. 

The  schooner  did  not  show  a  rag  of  bunting. 
3he  sat  the  water,  black,  grim,  snake-like,  silent. 

Her  very  crew  were  invisible ;  yet  one  glance 
her  rigging  had  showed  the  officers  of  the 
Phcebe  she  was  well  manned. 

Captain  Curtis  had  his  breakfast  brought  him 
m  deck. 

The  vessels  drifted  nearer  each  other,  as  often 
lappens  in  a  dead  calm.  So,  at  8.50  a.m.,  Cap- 
ain  Curtis  took  a  trumpet,  and  hailed  the  stran- 
ger, "  Scliooncr — ahoy .'" 

Xo  answer. 

The  Phoebe's  men  tumbled  up,  and  clustered  on 
he  forecastle  and  hung  over  the  bulwarks ;  for 
lothing  is  more  exciting  to  a  ship's  company  than 
tailing  another  vessel  at  sea. 

Yet  not  one  of  the  schooner's  crew  appeared. 

This  was  strange,  unnatural,  and  even  alarm- 


44  THE   JILT. 

The  captain,  after  waiting  some  time,  repeated 
his  hail  still  louder. 

This  time  a  single  figure  showed  on  board  the 
schooner ;  a  dark,  burly  fellow,  with  a  straight 
mustache,  a  little  tuft  on  his  chin,  and  wearing 
a  Persian  fez.  He  stood  by  the  foremast  swift- 
sure  of  the  main  rigging,  and  bawled  through  his 
trumpet,  "  Hullo !" 

"  What  schooner  is  that  ?" 

"  What  ship  is  that  ?" 

"  The  Phabey 

"  Where  from,  and  where  bound  ?'* 

"  Penang  to  Hong-Kong.     Who  arc  you  V 

"  The  Black  Rovers 

*' Where  bound?" 

"  Xowhere.     Cruising." 

"  Why  don't — ye — show — your  colors  ?" 

"  Ha  !— ha !" 

As  this  strange  laugh  rang  through  the  trump- - 
et  across  the  strip  of  water  that  now  parted  the ' 
two  vessels,  the  Mephistophelian  figure  dived  be-- 
low,  and  the  schooner  was  once  more  deserted,  toji 
all  appearance. 

If  "as  curious  to  see  how  Captain  Curtis  and) 
his  lirst  mate  now  evaded  their  own  suspicions, i 
and  were  ingenious  in  favorable  surmises.    Might  i 
she  not  be  an  armed  slaver?  or,  as  Lewis  had 
suggested,  a  Portuguese  ? 


THE   JILT.  .  45 

'  That  fello'.v  who  answered  the  hail  had  tlie 
cut  of  a  Portuguese." 

But  here  Mr.  Castor  put  in  his  word.  "  If  she 
is  looking  for  pirates,  she  hasn't  far  to  go  for  one, 
I'm  thinking,"  said  that  hare-brained  young  man. 

"Xonsense,  Sir,"  said  the  captain.  "What 
do  you  know  about  pirates  ?  Did  ye  ever  see 
one  as  near  as  this  ?" 

"  Xo,  Sir." 

"  Xo  more  did  I,"  said  Greaves. 

"  You  /"  said  Castor.  "  Xot  likely.  "When 
they  see  a  Queen's  ship  they  are  all  wings,  and 
no  beak.  But  they  can  range  up  alongside  a 
poor  devil  of  a  merchantman.  Xot  seen  a  pirate  ? 
DO ;  they  are  rare  birds  now ;  but  I  have  seen 
ships  of  burden  and  ships  of  war,  and  this  is 
neither.  She  is  low  in  the  water,  yet  she  carries 
QO  freight,  for  she  floats  like  a  cork.  She  is 
armed  and  well  manned,  yet  no  crew  to  be  seen. 
The  devils  are  under  hatches,  till  the  time  comes, 
[f  she  isn't  a  pirate,  what  is  she  ?  llowever,  I'll 
soon  know." 

"  Don't  talk  so  wild,  Castor,"  said  the  captain : 
'and  how  can  you  know?  they  won't  answer 
straight,  and  they  won't  show  their  colors." 

"  Oh,  there's  a  simple  way  you  have  not  thought 
)f,"  said  the  sapient  Castor :  "  and  I'll  take  that 
vay,  if  you  will  allow  me — I'll  board  ker." 


46  I  THE   JILT. 

At  this  characteristic  proposal,  made  with  per- 
fect composure,  the  others  looked  at  him  with  a 
certain  ironical  admiration. 

"  Board  her !"  said  the  captain.    "  I'll  be  d d 

if  you  do." 

"Why  not,  captain?  There,  that  shows  you 
think  she  is  wicked.  Why,  we  must  find  out  what 
she  is — somehow." 

"We  shall  know  soon  enough,"  said  the  cap- 
tain, gloomily.  "I  am  not  going  to  risk  my 
officers ;  if  any  body  boards  her,  it  sliall  be 
me." 

"  Oh,  that  is  the  game,  is  it  V  said  Castor,  re- 
proachfully. "  Why,  captain,  you  are  a  married 
man.     You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself." 

"No  more  words,  Sir,  if  you  please,"  said  the 
captain,  sternly.  "Step  forward  and  give  the 
order  to  sling  a  butt,  and  get  a  boat  ready  for 
target  practice.  I  shall  exercise  the  guns,  being 
a  calm.  Perhaps  he  thinks  we  are  weaker  than 
we  are." 

As  soon  as  Castor's  back  was  turned,  he  altered 
his  tone,  and  said,  with  much  feeling,  "  I  know 
that  fool-hardy  young  man's  mother.  How  could 
I  look  her  in  the  face  if  I  let  him  board  that  devil 
before  we  know  her  intentions  ?" 

A  butt  was  ballasted  with  sand,  so  as  to  secure 
its  floating  steadily,  bung-hole  up ;  the  bung  was 


THE    JILT.  47 

removed,  and  a  boat-hook  wedged  in,  bearing  the 
ensign.  The  butt  was  then  launched,  and  towed 
out  half  a  mile  to  starboard ;  and  the  Phoebe  tried 
her  guns  on  it. 

If  she  had  anticipated  this  meeting,  the  ship 
eould  have  poured  a  formidable  broadside  into 
ithe  mysterious  stranger,  for  she  carried  three 
|?2-pound  carronadcs  of  a  side  on  her  quarter- 
jieck,  and  thirteen  18-pounders  of  a  side  on  her 
(jun-deck.  But  it  was  the  old  story;  the  times 
vere  peaceable,  the  men  were  berthed  on  the  gun- 
leck,  and,  for  their  convenience,  eighteen  out  of 
lie  twenty-six  guns  had  been  struck  down  into 
he  hold.  ' 

With  the  remaining  guns  on  the  starboard  side 

hey  fired  at  the  butt,  and  so  carefully  that,  after 

n  hour's  practice,  it  was  brought  back  very  little 

le  worse.     The  only  telling  shot  was  made  on 

16  gun-deck  by  a  gunner,  whose  foot  slipped 

Dmehow,  and  he  dropped  a  32-pound  ball  on 

reaves's  ankle,  disabling  that  unfortunate  offi- 

?r:  he  was  carried  to  his  cabin  in  great  pain, 

ad  there  attended  by  the  surgeon. 

The  commotion  caused  by  this  misfortune  was 

irdly  over  upon  the  quarter-deck  when  an  unex- 

ijcted  incident  occurred — an  act  of  direct  insub- 

jjl'dination.     Mr.  Castor  had  put  on  his  uniform, 

ijjid  persuaded  two  poor  fellows,  an  ignorant  Las- 

•  D 


48  THE   JILT. 

car  and  a  reckless  Briton  like  himself,  to  go  out 
to  the  schooner  in  the  boat.  They  slipped  into 
her  as  soon  as  the  party  came  on  board  with  the 
butt,  and  at  first  pretended  to  be  baling  her  out 
and  examining  her  for  leaks ;  but  they  worked 
quietly  alongside  till  they  got  under  the  ship's 
bows,  and  then  dropped  their  oars  gently  into  the 
water,  and  pulled  for  the  schooner  like  mad. 

They  were  a  third  of  the  way  before  Captain 
Curtis  caught  sight  of  them.  He  roared  to  them 
to  come  back,  and  threatened  to  put  them  in  irons. 
But  none  are  so  deaf  as  those  who  won't  hear; 
and  he  did  not  use  his  trumpet,  lest  the  enemy 
should  think  they  were  disunited  on  board  the 
ship. 

He  and  Lewis,  therefore,  now  looked  on  in  si- 
lence, and  literally  perspired  with  anxiety  for  the 
fate  of  Castor  and  his  boat's  crew ;  and  although 
their  immediate  anxiety  was  as  unselfish  as  it  was 
keen,  yet  they  were  also  conscious  that  if  Castor r 
lost  his  life  in  this  rash  enterprise,  that  would < 
prove  the  commander  of  the  schooner  felt  strong 
enough  to  attack  than — no  quarter  on  either  sida 
— and  intended  to  do  it. 

At  this  terrible  moment,  when  their  eyes  werd. 
strained  to  observe  every  movement  in  the  schoon-j 
er,  and  their  nerves  strung  up  like  violin  strings,; 
foiuale  voices  broke  gayly  in  upon  them  with  iu«| 


THE    JILT.  49 

nocent  chatter  that,  for  once,  jarred  as  badly  as 
screams  ;  the  lady  passengers  had  kept  very  snug 
during  the  firing,  but  finding  it  was  quite  over, 
burst  on  the  deck  in  a  body. 

First  Lady,  "  Oh,  that's  the  ship  we  have  been 
saluting." 

Second  Lady.  "  A  royal  salute." 

Third  Lady.  "Is  it  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh's 
ship,  captain '?" 

No  answer. 

Third  Lady.  "  What  a  beauty !" 

First  Lady.  "Why  does  she  not  salute  us 
back,  captain  ?" 

Captain.  "  Got  no  guns,  perhaps." 

First  Lady.  "  Oh  yes,  she  has.  Those  black 
things  peeping  out  ai-e  guns." 

Second  Lady.  "  Ah,  there's  one  of  our  boats 
going  to  call  on  her." 

Third  Lady.  "  Oh,  captain,  may  we  go  on 
board  of  her  ?" 

Captain.  "Xo,  ma'am." 

Third  Lady.  "  Oh  dear !     Why  not  ?" 

Captain.  "  That  is  my  business." 

The  fair  speaker  tossed  her  head  and  said, 

Well,  I  am  sure!"  but  she  drew  back  with  red 
cheeks,  and  the  tears  in  her  eyes,  at  being  snubbed 
so  suddenly  and  unreasonably:  the  other  ladies 
gathered  round  her,  and  the  words,  "Cross  old 


50  THE   JILT. 

thing !"  were  heard  to  issue  from  the  party,  but 
fell  unheeded,  for  neither  the  captain  nor  Mr. 
Lewis  had  eyes  nor  ears  except  for  the  schooner 
iind  the  boat.  As  the  latter  neared  the  ship,  sev- 
eral  faces  peeped,  for  a  moment,  at  the  port-holes 
of  the  schooner. 

Yet,  when  the  boat  ran  alongside  the  schooner 
amid-ships,  there  was  no  respect  shown  to  Cas- 
tor's uniform,  nor,  indeed,  common  civility:  it 
would  have  been  no  more  than  the  right  thing 
to  pipe  the  side ;  but  there  were  no  sidesmen  at 
all,  nor  even  a  side-rope. 

Observing  this,  Captain  Curtis  shook  his  head 
very  gravely. 

But  the  dare-devil  Castor  climbed  the  schoon- 
er's side  like  a  cat,  and  boarded  her  in  a  moment, 
then  gave  his  men  an  order,  and  disappeared. 
The  men  pulled  rapidly  away  from  the  schooner ; 
and  a  snarl  of  contempt  and  horror  broke  from 
Curtis  and  his  first  mate.  They  seemed  to  be 
abandoning  their  imprudent  but  gallant  olhccr. 

They  pulled  about  a  hundred  yards,  and  then 
rested  on  their  oars,  and  waited. 

Then  every  sailor  on  board  the  Phxbc  saw  in- 
stinctively that  Castor  felt  his  danger,  and  had 
declined  to  risk  any  life  but  his  own.  He  must 
have  ordered  the  men  to  lie  to  a  certain  time,  then 
give  him  up  for  lost,  and  return  in  safety  to  the 


Tire   JILT,  51 

ship.  This  trait  and  his  daring  made  Castor,  in 
one  single  moment,  the  darling  of  the  whole  ship's 
company. 

The  ladies  were  requested  to  go  below,  on  some 
pretense  or  other ;  and  the  ship  was  cleared  for 
action  as  far  as  possible. 

Meantime  words  can  hardly  describe  the  rack- 
ing suspense  that  was  endured  by  the  officers, 
and,  in  a  great  degree,  by  the  crew  of  the  Phoebe. 
The  whole  living  heait  of  that  wooden  structure 
throbbed  for  one  man. 

Five  minutes  passed — ten — twenty — thirty — 
yet  he  did  not  re-appear. 

Apprehension  succeeded  to  doubt,  and  despair 
to  apprehension. 

At  last  they  gave  him  up,  and  the  burning  de- 
sire for  vengeance  mingled  with  their  fears  for 
their  own  safety.  So  strong  was  this  feeling 
that  the  next  event,  the  pirate's  attack  upon  that 
ill-fated  officer's  ship,  was  no  longer  regarded  with 
unmixed  dread.  The  thirst  for  vengeance  min- 
gled with  it. 

At  ten  o'clock  a.m.  the  strained  eyes  on  board 
the  Phcebe  saw  two  sidesmen  appear  amid-ships, 
and  fix  scarlet  side-ropes. 

Then  came  an  officer  and  hailed  Castor's  boat. 
The  men  pulled  to  the  schooner.  Then  Castor 
appeared,  and  went  down  by  the  ropes  into  the 


52  THE    JILT. 

boat;  he  and  the  officer  touched  hat3.  Castor 
sat  down  in  the  stem-sheets,  and  the  men  gave 
way. 

The  ship's  company  cheered,  the  side  was  piped, 
and  the  insubordinate  officer  received  on  board 
with  all  the  honors.  Caps  were  waved,  eyes  glis- 
tened, and  eager  hands  extended  to  him  ;  but  he 
himself  did  not  seem  so  very  exultant.  He  was 
pleased  with  his  reception,  however,  and  said,  in 
his  quaint  way,  "  This  is  jolly.  I  am  not  to  be 
put  in  irons,  then." 

The  captain  drew  him  apart.  ''  Well,  what  is 
8he?" 

"  Don't  know," 

"Why,  what  do  you  mean?  You  have  been 
near  an  hour  aboard  her." 

"  But  I  am  none  the  wiser.  Captain,  I  wish 
you  would  have  us  all  into  your  cabin,  and  then 
I'll  tell  you  a  rum  story;  perhaps  you  will  under- 
stand it  amoug  you,  for  you  know  my  head-piece 
isn't  Al." 

This  advice  was  taken  directly,  and  Castor  re- 
lated his  adventures,  in  full  conclave,  with  closed 
doors, 

MR.  CASTOR'S  NARRATIVE, 

*'  The  beggar  did  not  hang  out  so  much  as  a 
rope  to  me.  I  boarded  his  hooker  the  same  way 
I  should  like  to  board  her  again  with  thirty  good 


53 


cutlasses  at  my  back ;  and  I  ordered  the  boat  to 
lie  out  of  harm's  way  for  an  hour. 

"  Well,  I  soon  found  myself  on  her  quarter-deck, 
under  the  awning.  By  George,  Sir,  it  was  alive 
with  men,  as  busy  as  bees,  making  their  little  prep- 
arations, drat  'em.  Some  were  oiling  the  locks 
of  the  guns,  some  were  cleaning  small-arms,  some 
were  grinding  cutlasses.  They  took  no  notice  of 
me  ;  and  I  stood  there  looking  like  an  ass. 

"  I  wondered  whether  they  took  me  for  a  new 
officer  just  joined  ;  but  that  was  not  likely.  How- 
ever, I  wasn't  going  to  notice  tlicm^  as  they  hadn't 
the  manners  to  notice  me.  So  there  I  stood  and 
watched  them.  And  I  had  just  taken  out  my  ve- 
suvians  to  light  a  cigar,  when  a  middle-aged  man, 
in  a  uniform  I  don't  know,  but  the  metal  of  it  was 
silver,  came  bustling  up,  touched  his  cap  to  the 
deck,  and  brushed  past  me  as  if  I  was  invisible ; 
so  I  hung  on  to  his  coat  tails,  and  brought  him  to 
under  all  his  canvas." 

This  set  the  youngest  mate  giggUng,  but  he  was 
promptly  frowned  down. 

"  '  Hullo  !'  says  he, '  what  are  ye  about  ?  Why, 
who  the  deuce  are  you  V 

"  '  Second  mate  of  the  Phoebe,  alongside,'  says  I. 

"'Mate  of  the  Plicehe^  says  he;  'then  what 
brings  you  on  board  of  xis  /' 


C4  THE   JILT. 

bit,  and  said  I  wanted  to  see  the  captain  of  the 
Bchooner, 

"Well,  Sir,  at  this  some  of  the  men  left  off 
working,  and  looked  up  at  me  as  if  I  was  some 
Btrange  animal. 

" '  Lo  you  ?'  says  the  officer ;  '  then  you  are  the 
only  man  aboard  that  does.'  Then  he  turned 
more  friendly  like,  and  says,  '  Look  here,  young 
gentleman,  don't  you  go  to  meet  trouble.  Wait 
till  it  comes  to  you.  Go  back  to  your  ship,  before 
sHie  sees  you.' 

"'She!    Who?' 

"  '  No  matter.  You  sheer  off,  and  leave  our 
captain  alone.' 

"  Now,  gentlemen,  I'm  a  good-tempered  chap  ; 
and  you  may  chaff  me  till  all  is  blue;  but  I  can't 
stand  intimidation.  If  they  tin-eaten  me,  it  puts 
my  blood  up.  At  school,  if  another  boy  threat- 
ened me,  I  never  answered  him  ;  my  fist  used  to 
fly  at  his  mouth  as  soon  as  the  threat  was  out 
of  it." 

"  Good  little  boy,"  said  Lewis. 

But  the  captain  was  impatient.  "Come,  Sir, 
we  don't  want  your  boyish  reminiscences :  to  the 
point,  please." 

"Ay,  ay.  Sir.  Well,  then,  the  moment  he 
threatened  me,  I  just  turned  my  back  on  him 
and  made  for  the  companion  ladder. 


1 


THE    JILT.  55 

" '  Avast  there  !'  roared  the  officer,  in  an  awful 
fright,  'Xobody  uses  that  ladder  but  the  cap- 
tain himself  and —  Man  alive,  if  you  icill  see  him, 
follow  me.'  So  he  led  me  down  the  main  hatch- 
way. By  the  chain-cable  tier  I  came  all  of  a  sud- 
den on  three  men  in  irons  ;  ugly  beggars  they 
were,  and  wild-looking,  reckless  chaps.  One  of 
them  ran  a  spare  anklet  along  the  bar,  and  says 
to  me,  '  Here  you  are ;  room  for  one  more.'  But 
my  companion  soon  stopped  his  jaw.  '  Silence  in 
irons,  or  he'll  cut  your  tongue  out,'  says  he.  He 
wouldn't  go  to  the  captain  with  me ;  but  he  point- 
ed aft,  and  whispered,  '  Last  cabin  but  one,  star- 
board side.'  Then  he  sheered  off,  and  I  went 
for'ard  and  knocked  at  the  cabin  door.  No  an- 
swer ;  so  I  knocked  louder.  No  answer ;  so  I  turn- 
ed the  handle  and  opened  the  door." 

"  Young  madman !"  groaned  the  captain. 

"Not  so  very,     I  had  my  little  plan," 

"Oh,  he  had  his  little  plan,"  said  Curtis,  iron- 
ically, pityingly,  paternally.  Then,  hotly,  "  Go 
on.  Sir ;  don't  keep  us  on  tenter  -  hooks,  like 
this." 

"Well,  captain,  I  opened  that  door,  and  oh, 
my  eye  !  it  wasn't  a  cabin  ;  it  was  a  nobleman's 
drawing-room  :  pile  carpet  an  inch  thick  ;  beauti- 
ful painted  ceiling  ;  so  many  mirrors  down  to  the 
ground,  and  opposite  each  other,  they  made  it  look 


56  THE   JILT. 

like  a  big  palace ;  satin-wood  tables ;  luxurious 
couches  and  chairs;  a  polished  brass  stove,  but 
all  the  door-handles  silver ;  Venetians,  and  rose- 
colored  blinds  and  curtains.  The  sun  just  forced 
its  way  through,  and  made  every  thing  pink.  It 
was  a  regular  paradise ;  but,  instead  of  an  angol, 
there  was  a  great  hulking  chap,  squatted  cross- 
legged  on  an  ottoman  at  the  further  end,  smok- 
ing a  hookah  as  long  and  twisty  as  a  boa-constrict- 
or. The  beggar  wasn't  smoking  honest  tobacco 
neither,  but  mi.xed  with  rose  leaves  and  cinnamon 
shavings,  and,  in  my  opinion,  a  little  opium,  for 
he  turned  up  his  eyes  like  an  owl  in  paradise." 

"  Not  so  very  formidable,  then." 

"Formidable?  —  well,  I  wouldn't  answer  for 
that,  at  the  proper  time,  and  at  the  head  of  his 
ciit-throats  ;  for  he  was  a  precious  big  chap,  with 
black  brows,  and  a  wicked-looking  mustache 
and  tuft.  He  was  the  sort  of  chap  that  nigger 
who  smothers  his  wife  in  the  play  says  he  kill- 
ed, '  a  malignant  and  a  turbancd  Turk,'  you  know. 
But  then  it  wasn't  his  fighting  hour ;  lie  was  in 
smoker's  paradise,  and  it's  my  belief  you  might 
have  marched  up  to  him  and  knocked  him  on 
the  head — like  one  of  those  devil-may-care  pen- 
guins that  won't  budge  for  a  cannon-ball — and 
then  he  would  have  gone  smoking  on  the  ground 
till  you  cut  his  head  off  and  took  away  his  pipa 


THE   JILT.  57 

But  you'll  find  the  'Malignant'  had  a  protector, 
worse  luck,  and  one  that  didn't  smoke  spice,  but 
only  looked  it.  Well,  captain,  I  came  up  to  the 
nearest  table,  and  hit  it  pretty  hard  with  my  fist, 
to  see  if  I  could  make  that  thundering  picture 
jump." 

"  What  picture  ?" 

"  Why,  the  '  Malignant  and  the  Turbaned.' 
Devil  a  bit.  He  took  no  notice.  So  then  I  bawl- 
ed at  the  beggar:  'Your  most  obedient.  Sir;  I'm 
the  second  mate  of  the  Fhcebe,  lying  alongside, 
and  the  captain  has  sent  me  to  compare  lon- 
gitudes.' 

"  The  '  Malignant'  took  no  notice ;  just  glared 
at  me,  and  smoked  his  pipe.  He  looked  just  like 
that '  Malignant  Turban'  that  plays  whist  with  you 
by  machinery  in  London,  and  fixes  his  stony  eyes 
on  you  all  the  time ;  but,  with  me  bawling  at  him, 
a  door  opened,  and  in  came  a  flood  of  light,  and, 
in  the  middle  of  it — 0  Lord  !" 

"  Well,  what  ?" 

"  Just  the  loveliest  woman  I  ever  clapped  eye 
on.  The  vision  took  me  all  aback,  and  I  suppose 
I  stared  at  her  as  hard  as  the  '  Malignant'  was 
staring  at  vacancy ;  for  she  smiled  at  my  aston- 
ishment, and  made  me  a  sort  of  a  haughty  courtesy, 
and  waved  her  hand  for  me  to  sit  down.  Then 
says  she,  mighty  civil — too  civil  by  half — 'Have 


58  THE    JILT. 

I  the  pleasure  of  addressing  the  captain  of  that 
beautiful  ship  ?' 

"  '  I'm  her  second  officer,  ma'am,'  says  I ;  but  I 
was  too  dazzled  by  her  beauty  to  make  her  up 
any  lies  all  in  a  moment. 

"  '  Bound  for  China  ?'  says  riie,  like  honey. 

" '  Yes,  ma'am.' 

"  '  A  large  crew  ?'  says  she,  like  treacle. 

"  '  About  ninety,  ma'am,'  says  I,  very  short,  for 
I  began  to  smell  a  rat. 

" '  Many  European  sailors  among  them  V  says 
she. 

"So  then  I  saw  what  the  beautiful  fiend  would 
be  at,  and  I  said,  '  About  fifty.' 

" '  Indeed  !'  says  she,  smiling  like  Judas.  '  You 
know  ladies  will  be  curious,  and  I  could  only  count 
twenty-five.' 

" '  The  rest  wore  below,  coiling  ropes,'  says  I. 

*'  So  she  laughed  at  that,  and  said,  '  But  I  saw 
plenty  of  Lascars.' 

"  '  Oh,  our  Lascars  are  picked  men,'  says  I. 

*' '  I  wish  you  joy  of  them,'  she  says  ;  '  we  don't 
have  them  here:  not  to  bo  trusted  in  kmergk.v- 
CiES,  you  know.' 

"While  I  was  swallowing  this  last  pill,  she  at 
me  again.  Did  we  often  exercise  our  guns  ?  I 
said  of  course  we  did,  in  a  calm.  '  Why,'  said 
she, '  that  is  not  much  use ;  the  art  is  to  be  able 


THE   JILT.  59 

to  hit  ships  and  things  as  you  are  rising  or  fall- 
ing on  the  waves — so  they  tell  me,'  says  she,  cor- 
recting herself. 

"  The  beautiful  devil  made  ray  blood  run  cold. 
She  knew  too  much. 

" '  What  is  your  cargo?'  says  she,  just  as  if  she 
was  our  bosom-friend.  But  I  wouldn't  stand  any 
more  of  it.  '  Nutmegs,'  says  I.  So  she  laughed, 
and  said, '  Well,  but  seriously  ?'  So  then  I  thought 
chaffing  her  would  do  no  good,  and  I  told  her  we 
had  landed  the  valuable  part  of  our  cargo  at 
Bombay,  and  had  only  a  lot  of  grates  and  fire- 
irons  left.  I  put  on  a  friendly  tone,  all  sham, 
like  hers,  you  know,  and  told  her  that  tea  ships 
depended  on  the  cargo  they  brought  home,  not 
on  the  odds  and  ends  they  took  out  just  to  ballast 
the  craft." 

"  Well,  what  was  the  next  thing  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  remember  she  touched  a  silver  bell,  and 
a  brown  girl,  in  loose  trousers  and  cocked-up  shoes 
and  a  turban,  came  in  with  a  gold  tray — or  it 
might  be  silver  gilt — and  a  decanter  of  wine ;  and 
the  lovely  demon  said, '  Pour  out  some  wine,  Zu- 
lema.' 

" '  No,  thank  you,  ma'am,'  said  I.  So  she 
laughed,  and  said  it  wasn't  poisoned.  She  sent 
off  the  slave,  and  filled  two  glasses,  with  the  love- 
liest white  hand,  and  such  a  diamond  on  it.     She 


60  THE    JILT. 

began  drinking  to  me,  and  of  course  I  did  the 
same  to  her,  '  Here's  to  our  next  merry  meet- 
ing/ said  she.  My  blood  ran  a  httle  cold  at  that ; 
but  I  finished  my  liquor.  It  was  no  use  flying  a 
white  feather  ;  so  says  I, '  Here's  to  the  Corsair's 
bride,'  Her  eyes  twinkled,  but  she  made  me  a 
civil  courtesy, 

"  *  That's  prime  Madeira,'  says  I. 

*'  She  said  j-es,  it  had  been  their  companion  in 
several  cruises. 

" '  It  runs  through  a  fellow  like  oil,'  says  I. 

"  *  Then  have  some  more,'  said  she. 

*'  So  I  did,  and  then  she  did  not  say  any  more, 
and  the  '  Malignant'  sat  mum-chance :  and  I  was 
pumped  dry,  and  quite  at  a  loss.  So,  not  to  look 
like  a  fool,  I — asked  'cm  to  breakfast." 

"  What !     Who  ?" 

"  Why,  the  lady  and  gentleman  :  I  mean  the 
'  Malignant'  and  '  the  Corsair's  bride.'  " 

"  Young  madman  !" 

"  Why,  what  harm  could  that  do,  captain  ?" 

"What  good  could  it  do?  What  did  they 
say  V" 

"  She  said,  '  Are  there  any  ladies  aboard  V' 

"I  said, '  Yes,  and  tip-top  fashionable  ones.' 

"  So  then  she  looked  at  the  '  Malignant,'  and  he 
never  moved  a  muscle.  So  then  she  said,  '  We 
will  do  ourselves  the  i)leasure — ik  we  ark  in  com- 


Gl 


PANT,'  and  she  smiled  ever  so  knowingly,  did  that 
beautiful  demon. 

"  Then  I  pretended  cheerful.  '  That  is  all  right,' 
said  I.  '  Mind,  I  shall  tell  the  ladies,  and  they 
will  be  awfully  disappointed  if  you  don't  come.' 

"  '  I  assure  you,'  says  she, '  we  will  come,  if  we 
ARE  IN  COMPANY.  I  givc  you  my  hand  on  it,'  says 
she,  and  she  put  out  her  hand.  It  was  lovely 
and  white,  but  I  looked  at  it  as  if  'twas  the  devil's 
claw ;  but  I  had  to  take  it,  or  walk  the  plank ;  so 
I  did  take  it,  and — 0  Lord,  would  you  believe 
it? — she  gave  mine  such  a  squeeze." 

Lewis.  "  Gammon !" 

Castor.  "I  tell  you  she  gave  my  flipper  the 
most  delicious  squeeze  you  ever — it  was  so  long, 
and  soft,  and  gentle." 

CcRTis.  "  But  what  was  it  for  V 

Castor.  "  At  the  time  I  thought  it  was  to  en- 
courage me ;  for  she  said,  ever  so  softly, '  You 
are  a  brave  man.'  But  more  likely  it  was  to  de- 
lude me  and  put  me  off  my  guard.  Well,  I  was 
for  sheering  off  after  that,  and  I  made  a  low  bow 
to  the  '  Malignant.'  He  never  got  up,  but  he  show- 
ed his  little  bit  o'  breeding,  took  the  snake-pipe 
out  of  his  mouth,  and  brought  his  head  slowly 
down,  an  inch  a  minute,  till  he  looked  like  pitch- 
poling  over  on  to  the  floor  and  cutting  a  somer- 
sault ;  and,  while  he  was  going  down  and  up  again, 


62  THE    JILT. 

the  lady  said,  '  You  had  better  wait  a  minute.' 
It  was  in  a  very  particular  way  she  said  it ;  and 
she  flew  to  a  telegraph,  and  her  white  hands  went 
clicking  at  an  awful  rate ;  and  I  can  not  get  it 
out  of  my  head  that  if  those  white  hands  hadn't 
worked  those  wires,  I  should  have  been  cut  in 
pieces  at  the  cabin  door.  Not  that  I  cared  so  very 
much  for  that.  I  had  my  little  plan.  How- 
ever, she  left  off  clicking  just  as  that  old  picture 
got  his  figure-head  above  his  bows  again ;  so  I 
made  my  bow  to  'em  both,  and  sheered  off ;  and 
blest  if  that  elderly  officer  does  not  meet  me  at 
the  door,  and  march  before  me  to  the  quarter- 
deck ;  and  there's  another  officer  hailing  my  boat; 
and  there  were  fine  scarlet  silk  side-ropes  fixed, 
and  two  men  standing  by  them.  So  I  came  away 
in  state.  But  I'm  no  wiser  than  I  went.  "Wheth- 
er it  is  an  Eastern  prince,  out  on  pleasure,  or  a 
first-class  pirate,  I  don't  know.  I  hope  you  will 
order  a  tip-top  breakfast,  captain,  for  the  honor 
of  the  ship ;  lobster  curry,  for  one  thing ;  and 
sharpen  cutlasses  and  clean  small-arms ;  and 
borrow  all  Mr.  Greaves's  revolvers ;  he  is  taking 
out  quite  a  cargo  of  'em  :  and  that  reminds  me 
I  forgot  to  tell  you  what  my  little  plan  was  that 
made  me  so  saucy.  I  borrowed  one  of  Greaves'3 
six-shooters ;  here  it  is,  and  at  the  first  sign  of 
treachery  I  wasn't  going  to  waste  powder,  but 


THE   JILT.  63 

just  cut  back  and  kill  the  'Malignant'  and  the 
'  Corsair's  bride ;'  for  I  argued  they  wouldn't  have 
a  successor  ready,  and  ten  to  one  they  would 
have  a  quarrel  who  was  to  take  the  command ; 
80  that  would  save  our  hooker  at  the  expense  of 
one  hand,  and  him  a  bachelor.  Nobody  minds  a 
bachelor  getting  snuffed  out." 

Upon  Mr.  Castor  revealing  his  little  plan,  the 
other  officers  insisted  on  shaking  hands  with  him. 
At  which  he  stared,  but  consented  heartily ;  and 
finding  himself  in  such  unexpected  favor,  repeat- 
ed his  advice.  "  Prepare  an  excellent  breakfast 
for  to-morrow,  and  grind  cutlasses,  and  load  the 
guns  with  grape,  and  get  all  the  small-arms  load- 
ed, especially  revolvers;  for,"  said  Castor,  "I 
think  they  mean  to  board  us  to-night,  cut  all 
our  throats,  ravish  the  women,  and  scuttle  the 
craft,  when  they  have  rifled  her ;  but  if  they 
don't,  I'm  sure  they  will  come  to  breakfast.  She 
gave  me  her  hand  on  that,  and  the  turbaned 
Turk  nodded  his  thundering  old  piratical  figure- 
tiead." 

The  other  officers  agreed  with  him  that  the 
jhip  would  probably  be  attacked  that  night,  and 
ill  possible  preparations  were  made  for  her  de- 
fense. They  barred  the  ports  on  the  main-deck, 
;harged  the  cannon  with  grape,  armed  the  Las- 
ers with  cutlasses,  and  the  white  men  with 
E 


64  THE    JILT. 

muskets  as  well,  and  the  officers  and  the  boat- 
swain with  cutlasses  and  revolvers. 

The  sun  set,  and  all  was  now  grim  expectation 
and  anxiety.  No  watch  was  called,  for  the  whole 
crew  was  the  watch. 

The  moon  came  out,  and  showed  the  cuttor, 
like  a  black  snake,  lying  abominably  near. 

Hour  after  hour  dragged  by  in  chill  suspense. 
Each  bell,  as  it  was  struck,  rang  Hke  a  solemn 
knell. 

Midnight  came,  and  passed.  Morning  ap- 
proached. 

The  best  time  for  attacking  seemed  to  have 
passed. 

Fears  began  to  lessen — hopes  to  glow. 

The  elastic  Castor  begun  to  transfer  his  whole 
anxiety  to  the  cook  and  his  mate,  standing  firm 
to  his  theory  that  the  Corsair  and  liis  bride  would 
come  to  breakfast,  if  they  did  not  attack  the 
ship  that  night.  The  captain  poohpoohed  this; 
and  indeed  Castor  persuaded  nobody  but  tlie  cook. 
Ilim  he  so  flattered  about  his  fish  patties  and 
lobster  curries,  etc.,  that  he  believed  any  thing. 

Day  broke,  and  the  ship's  company  and  offi- 
cers breathed  freely.  Some  turned  in.  But  still 
the  schooner  was  closely  watched  by  many  eye^fi 
and  deck  glasses,  and  keenly  suspected. 

Soon  after  eight  bells  there  was  a  movement 


THE   JILT.  65 

on  board  the  schooner ;  and  this  was  immediate- 
ly reported  by  Mr.  Castor,  then  in  charge  of  the 
ship,  to  Captain  Curtis.  He  came  on  deck  directly. 
"You  are  right.  Sir,"  said  he,  handling  his 
glass,  "  and  they  are  lowering  a  boat.  He  is 
coming.  And — by  Jove,  they  are  rigging  a 
whip !  There's  a  lady.  Mr.  Castor,  rig  a  whip 
on  the  main-yard.  Bear  a  hand  there,  forward. 
Bosen,  attend  the  side.  Here,  sling  this  chair. 
Smart,  now — they  are  shoving  off." 

Six  able  oarsmen  brought  the  Corsair  and  his 
bride,  with  race-horse  speed,  from  the  schooner 
to  the  ship. 

But  there  were  smart  fellows  on  board  the 
Phcehe  too.  There  was  a  shrill  wind  of  the  boat- 
swain's pipe-call,  the  side  was  promptly  manned, 
he  chair  lowered  into  the  schooner's  boat  as  she 
3amc  alongside,  and  gently  hoisted,  with  the  lady 
n  it,  and  she  was  landed  on  the  deck  of  the 
FJwbc. 
She  had  a  thick  veil  on. 

The  commander  of  the  schooner  drew  up  be- 
ide  her,  and  Captain  Curtis  came  forward,  and 
he  two  commanders  off  hats  and  bowed. 

The  captain  of  the  schooner  was  now  gorgeous 

a  a  beautiful  light  blue  uniform,  the  cloth  glossy 

s  velvet  and  heavy  with  silver,  as  was  also  his  cap. 

The  captain  led  the  way  to  the  cabin.     His 


66  THE    JILT. 

guests  followed.  The  ladies  were  duly  informed, 
and  dropped  in  one  after  another.  Then  the 
Corsair's  bride  removed  her  veil,  and  revealed  a 
truly  beautiful  woman,  in  the  prime  of  youth, 
with  a  divine  complexion,  and  eyes  almost  pur- 
ple, so  deep  was  tlieir  blue. 

Captain  Curtis  seated  tliis  dazzling  creature  to 
his  right,  and,  to  the  surprise  of  the  company, 
her  companion  immediately  seated  himself  on 
her  other  side.  The  ladies  looked  at  each  other 
and  smiled,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  He  is  jealous ; 
and  no  great  wonder."  However,  they  talked  to 
her  across  the  body  of  her  lord,  and  she  to  them, 
and  she  was  a  most  piquant  addition  to  the  ta- 
ble, and  full  of  spirit.  She  seemed  devoted  to 
her  companion. 

For  all  that,  she  had  a  letter  in  her  pocket, 
which  she  intended  to  confide  to  one  of  those  la- 
dies she  had  never  seen  before  in  all  her  life; 
and  she  M'as  now  quietly  examining  their  faces- 
and  judging  their  voices,  as  she  conversed  with 
them,  merely  to  make  the  best  selection  of  a 
confidante  she  could. 

The  breakfast  did  honor  to  the  ship,  and  tlie 
Corsair  praised  the  lobster  curry,  and  made  him- 
self very  agreeable  all  round. 

Presently  one  of  the  ladies  said  to  Mr.  Castor, 
**But  where  is  Mr.  Greaves?"     Castor  told  her 


THE   JILT.  67 

he  had  been  disabled  by  a  shot  a  lubberly  gun- 
ner had  dropped  on  his  foot,  and  was  confined 
to  his  cabin. 

"  Oh  dear,"  said  the  lady ;  "  poor  Mr.  Greaves  ! 
How  unlucky  he  is !" 

"  Is  it  one  of  your  officers  ?"  asked  the  strange 
lady,  quietly. 

"  Xo,  ma'am ;  he  is  a  Queen's  officer,  lieutenant 
of  the  Centaur,  going  out  with  us  as  passenger." 

Then  the  lady  changed  color,  but  said  noth- 
ing, and  speedily  turned  the  conversation ;  but 
the  Corsair  looked  black  as  thunder,  and  became 
rather  silent  all  of  a  sudden. 

The  ladies  rose,  and  invited  the  fair  stranger 
to  go  with  them. 

"  Please  excuse  her,"  said  the  Corsair,  in  a 
civil  but  commanding  tone. 

She  seemed  indifferent. 

Soon  after  this  an  officer  came  in,  and  said, 
joyfully,  "  Wind  from  the  nor'west." 

"  Ah !"  said  the  stranger ;  "  then  we  must 
leave  you.  Sir.     Come  on  deck,  dear." 

When  they  got  on  deck,  the  lady  said,  rather 
pettishly,  "  Wind  ?  I  feel  no  wind."  Thereupon 
Mr.  Castor  pointed  out  to  her  a  dark  blue  hne, 
about  eight  miles  off,  on  the  pale  blue  water. 

"Oh,"  said  she,  "that  is  wind,  is  it?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  and  a  good  breeze  too ;  it  will 


be  here  in  twenty  minutes.  Why,  your  boat  is 
gone  !     Never  mind,  we  will  take  you." 

"  By  all  means,"  said  she,  aloud  ;  then,  as  she 
turned  from  him,  she  said,  in  a  swift  whisper,  "  Sit 
near  me  in  the  boat ;  I've  something  for  you." 

Now  this  conversation  passed  at  the  hc:i<l  <■( 
the  companion  ladder,  and  Greaves  heard  the 
lady's  voice,  though  not  the  words.  He  started 
violently,  huddled  on  his  clothes,  and  would  have 
hobbled  on  deck ;  but  the  boat  was  brought  along- 
side in  full  view  from  the  port  window  of  his 
cabin.  He  heard  her  grate  the  ship's  side,  and 
opened  the  window  just  as  the  lady  was  lowered 
into  the  boat.  The  chair  was  hoisted.  The  lady, 
with  her  veil  down  as  she  had  come,  took  her  seat 
on  the  stern  tliwart,  beside  her  companion.  Castor 
sitting  at  the  helm. 

*'  Shove  off !"  was  the  word. 

Then,  as  they  turned  the  boat's  head  round, 
the  lady,  who  had  seen  Greaves  through  her  veil, 
and  had  time  to  recognize  him  in  sj>ite  of  his 
beard,  lifted  her  veil  for  one  moment,  and  showed 
him  the  face  of  Ellon  Ap  Rice — that  face  he  had 
loved  so  well,  and  suffered  so  cruelly  for  loving  it. 
That  face  was  now  pale  and  eloquent  l>cyond  the 
power  of  words.  There  was  self-reproach,  a  pray- 
er for  forgiveness,  and,  stranger  still,  a  prayer 
to  that  injured  friend — for  iiklp. 


t)9 


PART  III. 

The  boat  proceeded  on  her  way.  Ellen  point- 
ed to  windward,  and  said,  "  See,  Edward,  the  dark 
line  is  ever  so  much  nearer  us." 

Laxton  turned  his  head  to  windward  directly, 
and  some  remarks  passed  between  him  and 
Castor. 

Ellen  had  counted  on  this ;  she  availed  herself 
of  it  to  whip  a  letter  out  of  her  pocket,  and  write 
in  pencil  an  address  upon  the  envelope.  This 
she  did  under  a  shawl  upon  her  lap.  Then  she 
kept  quiet,  and  waited  an  opportunity  to  do  some- 
thing more  dangerous. 

But  none  came.  Laxton  sat  square  with  her, 
and  could  see  every  open  movement  of  her  hand. 

They  were  within  ten  yards  of  the  schooner, 
and  the  side  manned  to  receive  them. 

Just  then  Laxton  stood  up,  and  cried  out,  "  For- 
ward there — stand  by  to  loose  the  jib." 

The  moment  he  stood  up,  Mrs.  Laxton  whipped 
the  letter  out  from  under  her  shawl,  and  held  it 
by  her  left  side,  but  a  little  behind  her,  where 
nobody  could  see  it,  except  Castor.  She  shook  it 
in  her  fingers  very  eloquently,  to  make  that  offi- 
cer observe  it.     Then  she  leaned  a  little  back, 


70  THE    JILT. 

and  held  it  toward  him;  but,  with  female  adroit- 
ness, turned  it  outward  in  her  hand,  so  that  not 
one  of  the  many  eyes  in  the  boat  could  see  it. 

A  moment  of  agony,  and  then  she  felt  fingers 
much  larger  and  harder  than  hers  take  it  quietly, 
and  convey  it  stealthily  away.  Her  panting  bos- 
om relieved  itself  of  a  sigh. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  said  the  watchful  Lax- 
ton. 

"  The  matter  ?     Nothing,"  said  she. 

*'  I  hope,"  said  he,  "  you  are  not  sorry  to  return 
to  our  humble  craft  ?" 

"  I  have  seen  none  to  compare  with  her,"  said 
she,  fencing  boldly,  but  trembling  to  herself. 

The  next  moment  she  was  on  board  the  schoon- 
er, and  waited  to  see  the  boat  off,  and  also  to 
learn,  if  possible,  whether  Castor  had  her  letter 
all  safe,  and  would  take  it  to  its  address. 

To  her  consternation  she  heard  Laxton  invite 
Castor  to  come  on  board  a  moment. 

She  tried  to  catch  Castor's  eye,  and  warn  him 
to  do  nothing  of  the  kind. 

But  the  light-hearted  officer  assented  at  once, 
and  was  on  the  quarter-deck  next  moment. 

Laxton  waved  the  others  to  fall  back ;  but  El- 
len would  not  leave  them  together:  she  wa.s 
too  apprehensive,  knowing  what  she  had  just 
done. 


"  I  have  not  the  honor  of  knowing  your  name, 
Sir ;  mine  is  Edward  Laxton." 

"Mine  is  Dick  Castor,  Sir,  at  your  service,  and 
yours,  ma'am."  And  he  took  this  fair  opportu- 
nity, and  gave  Ellen  a  look  that  made  her  cheeks 
burn,  for  it  said,  plainly,  "  Your  letter  is  in  safe 
hands." 

'  Well,  Mr.  Castor,"  said  Laxton,  "  you  are  the 
sort  I  want  on  board  this  schooner  ;  you  are  a 
man  of  nerve.  Xow  I  have  never  had  a  sailing- 
master  yet,  because  I  don't  need  one — I  am  an 
enthusiast  in  navigation,  have  studied  it  for  years, 
theoretically  and  practically — but  I  want  a  first 
lieutenant,  a  man  with  nerve.  What  do  you  say, 
now  ?  Five  hundred  a  year,  and  a  swell  uni- 
form." 

"  Well,  Sir,  the  duds  don't  tempt  me ;  but  the 
pay  is  very  handsome,  and  the  craft  is  a  beau- 
ty." 

Laxton  bowed  ceremoniously.  "  Let  me  add," 
said  he,  gravely,  "that  she  is  the  forerunner  of 
many  such  vessels.  At  present,  I  believe,  she  is 
the  only  armed  yacht  afloat ;  but,  looking  at  the 
ispect  of  Europe,  we  may  reasonably  hope  some 
nice  little  war  or  other  will  spring  up ;  then  the 
Rover  can  play  an  honorable,  and,  indeed,  a  lu- 
crative part.  My  first  lieutenant's  prize-money 
svill  not  be  less,  I  should  imagine,  than  twenty 


72  THE   JILT. 

thousand  a  year ;  an  agreeable  addition  to  his 
pay,  Sir." 

"  Delightful !"  said  Castor.  "  But  they  some- 
times hang  a  privateer  at  the  yard-arm ;  so  I 
should  be  (juite  contented  with  my  quiet  little 
five  hundred,  and  peaceful  times." 

"  Well,  then,  tell  'em  to  sheer  ofT,  and  fetch 
your  traps." 

"  Yes,  do,  Mr.  Castor,"  said  Ellen.  "  You  can 
send  a  line,  to  explain."  That  was  to  get  her 
own  letter  delivered,  the  sly  thing. 

Castor  shook  his  head.  "Sorry  to  disoblige 
you,  ma'am,  and  to  refuse  you.  Sir ;  but  things 
can't  be  done  that  way.  A  seaman  must  not  de- 
sert his  ship  on  her  voyage.  Catch  me  in  port 
and  make  the  same  ofTor,  I'll  jump  mast-high  at  it.'* 

"  Well,"  said  Laxton,  "  what  port  are  you  to  be 
caught  in  ?" 

"  Why,  it  must  be  London  or  IIong-Kong.  I 
shall  be  three  months  at  Hong-Kong." 

Laxton  said  he  had  not  intended  to  cruise  so 
far  west  as  that,  but  he  would  take  a  note  of  it. 
"  You  are  worth  going  a  little  out  of  the  way  for," 
said  he. 

While  he  was  making  his  note,  "  Bang"  went  a 
gun  from  the  Phifhc,  and  she  was  seen  hoisting 
sail  witli  great  raj)idity ;  her  rigging  swarmed  with 
men. 


THE    JILT. 


"  There,  that's  for  us,"  said  Castor. 

"  Xo  hurry.  Sir,"  said  Laxton  ;  "  he  is  going  to 
tack  instead  of  veering ;  she'll  hang  in  the  wind 
for  half  an  hour.  Forward  there — hoist  the  fly- 
ing-jib and  the  foretop-sel.  Helm  aweather! 
Veer  the  ship.  Mr.  Castor,  bid  your  men  hold 
on.    We  must  not  part  without  a  friendly  glass." 

"  Oh  no,"  said  Ellen.     "  I  will  order  it." 

Some  of  the  prime  Madeira  was  immediately 
brought  on  deck ;  and  while  they  were  all  three 
drinking  to  each  other,  the  impatient  Phcuhe  fired 
another  gun.  But  Castor  took  it  coolly ;  he  knew 
Laxton  was  right,  and  the  ship  could  not  come 
round  on  the  port  tack  in  a  hurry.  He  drank 
his  second  glass,  shook  hands  with  Laxton,  and 
then  with  Mrs.  Laxton,  received  once  more  an  el- 
oquent pressure  of  her  soft  hand,  and  this  time 
returned  it,  to  give  her  confidence,  and  looked 
courage  into  her  eyes,  that  met  his  anxiously. 
Then  he  put  off ;  and  though  the  Phcehe  was  now 
nearly  a  mile  off,  he  easily  ran  alongside  her  be- 
fore she  paid  off  and  got  her  head  before  the  wind. 

His  mind  was  in  a  troubled  state.  He  was  dy- 
ing to  know  what  this  lovely  woman,  who  had 
fallen  in  love  with  him  so  suddenly,  had  written 
to  him.  But  he  would  not  open  it  right  in  sight 
of  the  schooner  and  so  many  eyes.  He  was  a 
verv  loval  fellow. 


74  THE    JILT. 

At  a  good  distance,  lie  took  it  carefully  out, 
and  his  countenance  fell ;  for  the  letter  was  seal- 
ed, and  addressed, 

''Liait.  Greaves,  7?.X" 

Here  was  a  disappointment  and  a  Idow  to  the 
little  amorous  romance  which  Mr.  Castor,  who, 
among  his  other  good  qualities,  was  inflammaMe 
as  tinder,  had  been  constructing  ever  since  the 
Corsair's  bride  first  drank  to  him  and  pressed 
his  hand. 

He  made  a  terril)ly  Avry  face,  looking  at  tlie 
letter:  but  he  said  to  himself,  with  a  little 
grunt,  "  Well,  there's  nothing  lost  that  a  friend 
gets." 

As  soon  as  he  had  boarded  the  Phabe,  and  seen 
the  boat  replaced  on  the  davits,  the  good-natured 
fellow  ran  down  to  Greaves's  cabin,  and  found 
him  sitting  dejected,  with  his  head  down. 

"Cheer  up,  Mr.  Greaves,"  cries  Castor;  "luck 
is  changed.  Here  is  a  fair  wind,  and  every  rag 
set,  and  the  loveliest  woman  I  ever  clapped  eyes 
on  has  been  and  written  you  a  letter ;  and  there 
it  is." 

"  It  is  from  Iier .'"  cried  Greaves,  and  began  to 
open  it,  all  in  a  tremble.  "She  is  in  trouble,' 
Castor.     I  saw  it  in  her  face." 


THE    JILT.  75 

"Trouble  !  not  she.  Schooner  Al,  and  money 
in  both  pockets." 

"  Trouble,  I  tell  you  ;  and  great  trouble,  or  she 
would  never  have  written  to  nie."  By  this  time 
he  had  opened  the  letter,  and  was  busied  in  the 
contents.  "  It  wasn't  to  me  she  wrote,"  he  sigh- 
ed. "  How  could  it  be  ?"  lie  read  it  through, 
and  then  handed  it  to  Castor. 

The  letter  ran  thus : 

"  I  have  written  this  in  hopes  I  may  be  able  to 
give  it  to  some  lady  on  board  the  Phjehe  or  to 
one  of  the  officers,  and  that  something  may  be 
done  to  rescue  me,  and  prevent  some  terrible 
misfortune. 

"  My  husband  is  a  madman.  It  is  his  mania 
to  pass  for  a  pirate,  and  frighten  unarmed  ves- 
sels. Only  last  week  we  fell  in  with  a  Dutch 
brig,  and  he  hoisted  a  black  flag  with  a  white 
death's-head  and  cross-bones,  and  fired  a  shot 
across  the  Dutchman's  bows.  The  Dutchman 
hove  to  directly,  but  took  to  his  boats.  Then  Mr. 
Laxton  thought  he  had  done  enough,  so  he  fired 
a  gun  to  leeward,  in  token  of  amity ;  but  the  poor 
Dutchman  did  not  understand,  and  the  crew  pull- 
ed their  boats  toward  Java  Head,  full  ten  miles 
off,  and  abandoned  their  ship.  I  told  him  it  was 
too  cruel ;  but  he  spoke  quite  harshly  to  me,  and 


76  TIEE   JILT. 

said  that  lubbers  who  didn't  know  the  meaning 
of  a  gun  to  leeward  had  no  business  afloat.  All 
I  could  persuade  him  to  was  to  sail  quite  away, 
and  let  the  poor  Dutchmen  see  they  could  come 
back  to  their  ship.  She  could  not  fly  from  them, 
because  she  was  hove  to. 

"  He  tried  this  experiment  on  the  Fhcebe,  and 
got  the  men  to  join  him  in  it.  lie  told  me  every 
word  I  was  to  say  to  the  ofiicer.  The  three  who 
were  put  in  irons  had  a  guinea  apiece  for  it  and 
double  grog.  lie  only  left  off  because  the  ofllicer 
who  came  on  board  was  such  a  brave  man,  and  I 
won  his  respect  directly ;  for  he  is  as  brave  as  a  1 
lion  himself.  And  that  is  the  worst  of  it ;  if  a 
frigate  caught  him  playing  the  pirate,  and  fired 
at  him,  he  would  be  sure  to  fire  back,  and  court 
destruction. 

"  His  very  crew  are  so  attached  to  him,  and  so 
highly  paid — for  he  is  extremely  rich — and  sail- 
ors are  so  reckless,  that  I  am  afraid  they  would 
fight  almost  any  body  at  a  distance.  But  I  think 
if  they  saw  an  officer  on  board  in  his  uniform, 
and  he  spoke  to  them,  they  would  come  to  their 
senses ;  because  they  are  many  of  them  men-of- 
war's  men.  But,  indeed,  I  fear  he  bribed  some 
of  them  out  of  the  Queen's  ships ;  and  I  don't 
know  what  those  men  might  not  do,  because  they 
are  deserters. 


THE    JILT.  77 

'  It  is  my  hope  and  prayer  that  the  captain  and 
officers  of  the  Fh<xhe  will,  all  of  them,  tell  a  great 
many  other  captains,  especially  of  armed  vessels, 
not  to  take  the  Rover  for  a  real  pirate,  and  fire 
on  him,  but  to  come  on  board,  and  put  him  under 
reasonable  restraint  for  his  on'u  sake  and  that  of 
others  at  sea. 

"  As  for  myself,  I  believe  my  own  life  is  hardly 
safe.  He  has  fits  of  violence  which  he  can  not 
help,  poor  fellow,  and  is  very  sorry  for  afterward  ; 
but  they  are  becoming  more  frequent,  and  he  is 
;etting  worse  in  every  way. 

"  But  it  is  not  for  myself  I  write  these  lines,  so 
much  as  to  prevent  wholesale  mischief.  I  be- 
haved ill  in  marrying  him,  and  must  take  my 
chance,  and  perhaps  pay  my  penalty. 

"Ellen  Laxton." 

'  Well,  Castor,"  said  Greaves,  eagerly,  "  what 
shall  we  do  ?  Will  the  captain  let  you  take  vol- 
unteers and  board  her?" 

"  Certainly  not !  Why,  here's  a  fair  wind,  and 
stunsels  set  to  catch  every  puff." 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  take  him  her  letter,  and 
try  him." 

"  I'll  do  that,  but  it  is  no  use." 

He  took  the  letter,  and  soon  came  back  with  a 
reply  that  Captain  Curtis  sympathized  with  the 


78  TIIK    JILT. 

lady,  and  would  make  the  case  known  to  everv 
master  in  his  service. 

"  And  that  is  all  he  is  game  for  !"  said  Greaves, 
contemptuously.  "  Castor,  lend  me  your  arm.  I 
can  hobble  on  deck  well  enough." 

He  got  on  deck,  and  the  schooner  was  three 
miles  to  leeward  and  full  a  mile  astern,  with 
nothing  set  but  her  top-sails  and  flying-jib. 

Greaves  groaned  aloud.  "Ue  means  to  part 
company.  We  shall  never  see  her  again."  He 
groaned,  and  went  down  to  his  cabin  again. 

He  was  mistaken.  Laxton  was  only  giving  the 
ehip  a  start,  in  order  to  try  rates  of  sailing.  He 
set  his  magnificent  mainsail  and  foresail  and  main- 
jib,  and  came  up  with  the  ship  hand  over  head, 
the  moderate  breeze  giving  him  an  advantage. 

Castor  did  not  tell  Greaves,  for  he  thought  it 
would  only  put  him  in  a  passion,  and  do  no  good. 

So  the  first  intimation  Greaves  got  was  at  about 
4  P.M.  He  was  seated,  in  deep  sorrow,  copying 
liis  lost  sweetheart's  letter,  in  order  to  carry  out 
her  wishes,  when  the  shadow  of  an  enormous  jib- 
sail  fell  on  his  paper.  He  looked  up,  and  saw 
the  schooner  gliding  majestically  alongside,  with-i 
in  pistol-shot. 

He  flew  on  deck,  in  spite  of  his  lame  foot,  and 
made  the  wildest  propositions.  He  wanted  a 
broadside  Orcd  at  the  schooner's  masts  to  dis- 


THE    JILT.  79 

iM"  her;  wanted  Captain  Curtis  to  take  the  wind 
at  of  her  sails,  and  run  on  to  her,  grapple  her, 
nd  board  her. 

To  all  this,  as  might  be  supposed,  Captain  Cur- 
is  turned  a  deaf  ear. 

Interfere,  with  violence,  between  man  and 
vife.  Sir  !  Do  you  think  I  am  as  mad  as  he  is  ? 
Utack  a  commander  who  has  just  breakfasted 
vith  me,  merely  because  he  has  got  a  tile  loose  ? 
*ray  compose  yourself,  Mr.  Greaves,  and  don't 
alk  nonsense.  I  shall  keep  my  course,  and  take 
10  notice  of  his  capers.  And,  Mr.  Greaves,  I  am 
orry  for  you — you  are  out  of  luck — but  every 
log  has  his  day.  Be  patient,  man,  for  God's  sake, 
nd  remember  you  serve  her  Majesty,  and  should 
>e  the  last  to  defy  the  law.  You  should  set  an 
xample.  Sir." 

This  brought  that  excellent  officer  to  his  bear- 
ags,  and  he  sat  down  all  of  a  heap  and  was  si- 
3nt,  but  tears  of  agony  came  out  of  his  eyes,  and 
■resently  something  occurred  that  made  him  start 
p  in  fury  again. 

For  Laxton's  quick  eye  had  noticed  him  and 
is  wild  appeals,  and  he  sent  down  for  Mrs.  Lax- 
3n.  When  she  came  up,  he  said,  "  My  dear, 
acre's  a  gentleman  on  deck  who  did  not  break - 
ist  with  us.  There  he  sits  abaft  the  mainmast, 
ooking  daggers  at  us.  Do  you  know  him  ?" 
F 


Ellen  started. 

"  Ah,  you  do  know  him.     Tell  me  his  name." 

"  His  name  is  Arthur  Greaves." 

"  What,  the  same  that  was  spooney  on  you  when 
I  sailed  into  Tenby  Harbor?" 

"Yes,  yes.     Pray  spare  me  the  sight  of  thcj 
man  I  wronged  so  wiekedly." 

"  Spare  you  the  sight,  you  lying  devil ! 
you  raised  your  veil  to  see  him  the  better.' 
these  words  he  caught  her  hastily  round  the  Wi 
with  his  powerful  arm,  and  held  her  in  that 
tionate  position  while  he  made  his  ii-onical  adi 
to  the  ship  he  was  outsailing. 

During  the  above  dialogue,  the  schooner  bei 
directly  under  the  ship's  lee,  the  wind  was  tak 
out  of  the  swifter  craft's  sails,  and  the  two  ves- 
sels hung  together  a  minute  ;  but  soon  the  schoon- 
er forged  ahead,  and  glided  gradually  away,  steer- ! 
ing  a  more  southerly  course ;  ami  still  those  twcil 
figures  were  seen   interlaced  upon  her  deck,  isl 
spite  of  the  lady's  letter  in  Greaves's  possession,  i 

"  The  hell  of  impotence,"  says  an  old  writer. 
Poor  Grejives  suffered  that  hell  all  the  time  tl 
schooner  ran  alongside  the  ship,  and  nobod; 
would  help  him  board  her,  or  grapple  her,  or  sinl 
her.  Then  was  added  the  hell  of  jealousy ;  hi 
eyes  were  blasted  and  his  soul  sickened  with  tl 
actual  picture  of  his  old  sweetheart  embraced  b; 


THE  JILT.  83 

her  lord  and  master  before  all  the  world.  He 
had  her  letter,  addressed,  though  not  written,  to 
him  ;  but  Laxton  had  her,  and  the  picture  of  pos- 
.session  was  public.  Greaves  shook  his  tist  at 
him  with  impotent  fury,  howled  impotent  curses 
at  him,  that  every  body  heard,  even  the  ladies, 
who  had  come  on  deck  well  pleased,  seeing  only 
the  surface  of  things,  and  were  all  aghast  when 
Greaves  came  up  all  of  a  sudden,  and  stormed 
and  raged  at  what  to  them  was  that  pretty  shift 
and  justly  affectionate  commander;  still  more 
aghast  when  all  this  torrent  came  to  a  climax, 
and  the  strong  man  fell  down  in  a  fit,  and  was 
carried,  gnashing  and  foaming  and  insensible,  to 
his  cabin. 

On  board  the  schooner  all  was  not  so  rosy  as  it 
looked.  Mrs.  Laxton,  quietly  imprisoned  by  an 
iron  hand,  and  forced  into  a  pictorial  attitude  of 
affection  quite  out  of  character  with  her  real  sen- 
timents— which  at  that  moment  were  fear,  repug- 
nance, remorse,  and  shame — quivered  and  writhed 
in  that  velvet-iron  embrace :  her  cheeks  were  red, 
at  first,  with  burning  blushes ;  but  by  degrees 
they  became  very  pale;  her  lips  quivered,  and 
lost  all  color;  and,  soon  after  Greaves  was  car- 
ied  below,  her  body  began  to  collapse,  and  at 
last  she  was  evidently  about  to  faint;  but  her 
changeable  husband  looked  in  her  face,  uttered 


84  TIIK    JILT. 

a  cry  of  dismay,  and  supported  her,  with  a  world 
of  tenderness,  into  the  cabin,  and  laying  her  on  a 
uofa,  recovered  her  with  all  the  usual  expedient-, 
and  then  soothed  her  with  the  tendercst  expn  >- 
sions  of  solicitude  and  devotion. 

It  was  not  the  first  time  his  tyranny  had  emhd 
in  adoration  and  tenderness.  The  couple  had 
*hcd  many  tears  of  reconciliation :  but  the  finest 
fabric  wears  out  in  time ;  and  the  blest  shade  of^ 
Lord  Byron  must  forgive  me  if  I  declare  that 
even  "  Pique  her  and  soothe  by  turns"  may  lose 
its  charm  by  what  Shakspeare  calls  "damna- 
ble iteration."  The  reader,  indeed,  might  gather 
as  much  from  Mrs.  Laxton's  reply  to  her  hus- 
band's gushing  tenderness.  "  There — there — I 
know  you  love  me,  in  your  way ;  and,  if  you  do, 
plea.sc  leave  me  in  peace,  for  I  am  quite  worn 
out." 

"  Queen  of  my  soul,  your  lightest  word  is  a 
command,"  said  the  now  chivalrous  spouse;  im- 
pressed a  delicate  kiss  upon  her  brow,  and  re- 
tired, backward,  with  a  gaze  of  veneration,  as 
from  the  presence  of  his  sovereign. 

This  sentiment  of  excessive  veneration  did  not,  ■ 
however,  last  twenty-four  hours.     He  thought  the  j 
matter  over,  and  early  next  morning  he  brouglit  ' 
a  paint-pot   into  the  cabin,  and  having  stiniij 
some  of  hiij  wife's  mille-fleur  into  it,  proceo<ii  1 


I 


to  draw,  and  then  paint,  a  certain  word  over  a 
mall  cupboard  or  locker  in  the  state  cabin. 

Mrs.  Laxton  came  in,  and  found  him  so  em- 
ployed. "  What  a  horrid  smell !"  said  she,  pet- 
tishly.    "Paint!" 

'  What,  do  you  smell  it  ?"  said  he,  in  a  humble, 
apologetic  tone.  "  I  thought  I  had  succeeded  in 
lisguising  it  with  something  more  agreeable  to 
the  nostrils  of  beauty — the  essence  of  a  thousand 
flowers." 

"  You  have  not,  then ;  and  what  are  you  doing  ?" 

*'  Painting  a  word  on  this  locker.  A  salutary 
word.  Behold,  queen  of  this  ship  and  your  hus- 
band's heart !"  and  he  showed  her  the  word  "  dis- 
cipline" beautifully  written  in  large  letters  and 
in  an  arch. 

She  began  to  quake  a  little ;  but  being  high- 
spirited,  she  said,  "  Yes,  it  is  a  salutary  word,  and 
if  it  had  been  applied  to  you  when  a  boy,  it  would 
be  all  the  better  for  you  now — and  for  me  too." 

■'  It  would,"  said  he,  gravely.  "  But  /  had  no 
true  friend  to  correct  the  little  faults  of  youth. 
You  have.  You  have  a  husband,  who  knows  how 
to  sail  a  woman.  '  Suavitet'  in  modo^  fortiter  in 
re,''  that's  the  rule,  when  one  is  blessed,  and  hon- 
ored, and  tormented,  with  the  charge  of  capricious 
beauty." 

Then  Mrs.  La.xton  took  fright,  and  said,  caiol- 


86 


ingly,  she  really  believed  he  was  the  wisest  man 
upon  the  seas. 

As  he  was,  at  all  events,  one  of  the  vainest,  tlii- 
so  gratified  him  that  no  further  allusion  to  hr: 
faults  was  made  that  day. 

The  next  morning  two  sailors  had  a  fight 
the  affections   of  Susan  Tucker,  Mrs.  Laxt< 
Welsh  maid,  whom  he  had  made  her  color  ;. 
rig  out  as  Zulema,  in  that  little  comedy  ^v; 
Castor. 

Thereupon  Laxton  complained  to  her,  and  said. 
"  I  can  not  have  the  peace  of  the  vessel  disturlx^i 
by  that  hussy.     I  shall  discharge  her." 

"What,  into  the  sea,  dear?"  said  Mrs.  Laxton. 
rather  pertly. 

"  No,  love.  Though  T  don't  see  why  I  shouldn't 
launch  her  in  an  open  boat,  with  a  compass,  and 
a  loaf,  and  a  barrel  of  water,  and  a  bottle  of  hair 
oil — she  uses  that,  the  nasty  little  pig.  That  s«.ii 
of  thing  has  been  done,  on  less  provocation,  t<> 
Captain  Blnh,  and  many  others.  No,  I  shall  lirt- 
across  the  bows  of  the  first  homeward-bound — " 

Mrs.  Laxton  uttered  a  loud  sigh  of  dismay. 

— "  And  send  that  little  apple  of  discord  back 
to  its  own  orchard  in  South  Wales — he  !  he  !  he  !" 

This  was  no  laughing  matter  to  poor  Mrs.  Lax-) 
ton.    She  clasped  her  hands.    "  Oh,  Edward,  show 
me  some  mercv !     I  have  never  been  without  a 


THE    JILT.  8/ 

woman  about  fne.  Oh,  pray  don't  let  me  be 
alone  in  a  ship,  surrounded  by  men,  and  not  one 
woman !" 

"For  shame,  Ellen  !"  said  he,  severely.  "  You 
are  a  pirate's  bride,  and  must  rise  above  your  sex. 
I  devote  myself  to  your  service  as  lady's-maid. 
It  would  be  odd  indeed  if  a  man  who  can  pass  a 
weather  earing,  couldn't  humble-cum-stumble  a 
woman's  stays." 

"  That  is  not  it.  If  she  goes,  my  life  will  not 
be  safe." 

"  Not  safe  !  with  me  to  look  after  it !" 

"  No,  you  villain  ! — you  hypocrite  !  If  she  goes, 
my  life  will  not  be  safe  from  youy  She  was  wild 
with  anger  and  fear. 

"  These  are  hard  words,"  said  he,  sorrowfully. 
Then,  firmly,  "  I  see  the  time  has  come  for  disci- 
pline ;"  and  though  his  words  were  wondrous 
calm,  he  seized  her  suddenly  by  the  nape  of  the 
neck.  She  uttered  one  scream ;  the  next  he 
stopped  with  his  other  hand,  and  she  bit  it  to  the 
l>one ;  but  he  never  winced.  "  Come,"  said  he, 
"  I'll  use  no  unnecessary  violence.  '  Suaviter  in 
modo^fortiier  hi  re^  is  the  sailing  order;"  and  in 
a  few  moments  she  was  bundled,  struggling  vio- 
lently, into  the  locker,  and  the  key  turned  on  her. 

Though  his  hand  bled  freely,  he  kept  his  word, 
and  used  no  unnecessary  violence,  provided  you 


88  THE    JILT. 

,!;rant  him,  by  way  of  postulate,  that  it  was  necex- 
sanj  to  put  her  into  that  locker  at  all.  Only  a.^ 
she  fought  and  bit  and  scratched  and  kicked  and 
wriggled  her  very  best,  the  necessary  violence 
was  considerable. 

That  was  her  fault,  not  his,  he  conceived.  He 
u.sed  no  unnecessary  violence.  He  now  got  a 
napkin  and  tied  up  his  hand.  Then  he  took  a 
centre-bit  and  bored  holes  in  the  paneled  door. 

This,  he  informed  his  prisoner,  was  necessary. 
"  Without  a  constant  supply  of  fresh  air,  you 
would  be  uncomfortable;  and  your  comfort  is 
very  dear  to  me." 

He  then  remarked  that  she  ought  to  have  a 
sentinel.  Respect,  as  well  as  safe  custody,  de- 
manded that ;  and,  as  he  was  his  own  factotum, 
he  would  discharge  that  function.  Accordingly, 
he  marched  j)ast  the  locker,  to  and  fro,  without 
ceasing,  till  there  was  a  knock  at  his  cabin  door, 
and  a  sail  reported  to  leeward. 
"  Homeward  bound  ?" 
"  Yes,  Sir." 

"  Then  close  up  with  her,  and  get  my  gig  ready 
to  board  her." 

When  he  came  near  her,  it  proved  to  be  one  of 
Mr.  (ireen's  tea  ships ;  so  he  fired  a  gun  to  lee- 
ward, instead  of  sending  a  shot  across  her  bows  ; 
and  then  he  launched  his  gig,  with  Susan  blub- 


THE    JILT.  89 

ItLMing  in  the  stern-sheets,  and  her  clothes  in  a 
liauimock. 

The  ship,  for  a  wonder,  condescended  to  slack 
her  main-sheet,  and  the  boat,  being  very  swift, 
ran  up  to  her  astern,  and  the  officer  in  com- 
mand of  the  boat  offered  forty  pounds  for  a  pass- 
age. 

They  happened  to  want  a  female  servant,  and 
so  they  took  her,  with  a  little  grumbling;  and 
she  got  her  fare,  or  the  greater  portion  of  it,  paid 
her  for  wages  at  Southampton.  So  I  am  told, 
however. 

The  pursuit  and  capture  of  the  ship,  and  the 
hoisting  on  board  of  Susan,  were  all  reported, 
during  their  actual  progress,  with  great  bonho- 
mie, to  Mrs.  Laxton,  through  her  air-holes,  by  her 
spouse  and  sentinel,  and  received  with  sobbing 
and  sullen  tears. 

.  "When  the  boat  came  back,  Laxton  put  on  a 
bright  and  cheerful  air.  "  There,"  said  he  to  his 
prisoner,  "the  bone  of  contention  is  gone,  and 
peace  is  restored — nautical  peace  and  domestic 
peace.     Aren't  you  glad  ?" 

No  answer. 

"  Don't  be  sulky,  dear.  That  shows  a  bad  dis- 
position, and  calls  for  discipline.  Open  your  mind 
to  me.  This  is  the  cellular  system,  universally 
approved.     How  do  you  find  it  work  ?     How  do 


90  THE    JILT. 

you  feel,  love  ?  A  little — subjugated — eh  ?  Tell 
the  truth  now." 

"  Yes ;  quite  subjugated,"  said  a  faint  voice. 
"  Pray  let  me  out." 

"  With  pleasure,  dear.  Why  did  you  not  ask 
me  before  ?" 

He  opened  the  door,  and  there  was  the  poor 
woman,  crouched  in  a  cupboard  that  only  just  held 
her,  seated  on  the  ground  with  her  knees  half- 
way to  her  chin.  She  came  out  with  her  eyes  as 
wild  as  any  beast  of  the  forest  that  had  been 
caught  in  a  trap,  and  tottered  to  a  seat.  She  ran 
her  white  hands  recklessly  into  her  hair,  and  rock- 
ed herself.  "  0  my  God  !"  she  cried.  "  Susan 
gone ;  and  I  am  alone  with  a  madman !  I'm  a 
lost  woman !" 

Laxton  pitied  her  distress,  and  set  himself  to 
cool  her  fears.  "  Don't  talk  like  that,  dearest," 
paid  he  j  "  a  little  discipline  is  wholesome.  What 
have  you  to  fear  from  a  man  whose  sportive  en- 
sign, no  doubt,  is  a  death's-head  and  cross-bones ; 
but  his  motto  is  '  Suavitcr  in  viodo^fortiter  in  re." 
Ijook  here  ;  here  is  an  ensanguined  cloth.  Mine 
is  the  only  blood  that  has  been  shed  in  our  little 
loving  encounter ;  the  only  blood  that  ever  shall 
be  shed  between  us,  sweet  tigress  of  my  soul." 

"  Forgive  me !"  said  she,  trembling  all  ovoV. 
"  I  was  so  frightened." 


91 


"  Forgive  you,  dearest  ?  Why,  you  know  a  bite 
from  you  is  sweeter  to  me  than  a  kiss  from  any 
other  woman.  It  was  rapturous.  Bite  me  again, 
love ;  scratch  me ;  beat  me.  Sweet,  darling  Nelly, 
teach  a  brute  and  ruffian  to  dare  to  discipline  his 
lovely  queen." 

"  No,  no.  I  won't  touch  you.  You  don't  love 
me." 

"  Not  love  you  ?  Ah  !  cruel  Nelly  !  What 
man  ever  loved  a  woman  as  I  love  you  ?" 

"  Give  me  a  proof ;  some  better  proof  than 
locking  me  up  in  that  horrid  hole." 

"  Any  proof  you  like." 

"  Take  me  on  shore.  I'm  not  a  sailor  ;  and  I 
begin  to  pine  for  the  land." 

"  Of  course  you  do,"  said  Laxton,  who  was  now 
all  indulgence.  "Choose  your  land  at  once. 
There's  Australia  to  leeward." 

"  Yes,  six  thousand  miles.  Let  us  go  to  China, 
and  drink  tea  together,  dear,  fresh  gathered." 

"The  desire  is  natural,"  said  Laxton,  like  a 
nurse  making  life  sweet  to  a  refractory  child. 
"  I'll  go  on  deck  and  alter  her  course  directly. 
By-the-bye,  where  did  that  Castor  say  I  should 
find  him  ?" 

Thus,  even  in  her  deplorable  condition,  and 
just  let  out  of  prison,  did  a  terrified  but  masterly 
woman  manipulate  her  maniac. 


92  THE    JILT. 

But  what  she  endured  in  the  course  of  a  very  few 
days  was  enough  to  unhinge  a  lady  for  life.  Lax- 
ton  took  to  brooding,  and  often  passed  his  hand 
over  his  brow  with  a  weird,  terrified  look.  Then 
she  watched  him  with  terror.  On  deck  he  went 
into  furies  about  the  most  trifling  things,  and 
tiireatened  his  best  seamen  with  the  cat. 

Ellen  could  hear  his  voice  raging  above,  and 
sat  trembling  as  his  step  came  down  the  ladder 
after  these  explosions.  But  at  the  cabin  d<H)r 
he  deposited  violence,  and  his  mania  took  anoth- 
er turn.  He  disciplined  her  every  day,  and  it  seem- 
ed to  cool  him.  She  made  no  resistance,  and  they 
conversed  amicably  on  different  sides  of  the  pris- 
on, she  admitting  that  discipUne  was  good  for  her 
mind. 

After  a  time  she  would  say,  "  Edward,  I'm  sorry 
to  say  this  contracted  position  pains  my  limbs." 

"  We  must  provide  for  that.  I'll  build  another 
yacht,  with  more  room  in  it — for  even/  thirtf/.'" 

"Do,  dear;  and,  meantime,  I  am  afraid  I  must 
ask  you  to  let  me  out." 

"Oh,  by  all  means.  Every  thing  must  giv« 
way  to  your  comfort." 

Unfortunately,  Mr.  Laxton,  as  his  reason  be- 
came weaker,  set  up  a  spy;  and  this  fellow  worm- 
ed out  that  one  of  the  crew  had  seen  Castor  take 
a  letter  on  the  sly  from  Mrs.  Laxton,     This  upset 


his  mind  altogether.  He  burst  in  upon  her,  look- 
ing fearful.  "  So  you  write  love-letters  to  stran- 
gers, do  you  ?''  he  roared. 

"  No,  no.     Who  dares  say  so  ?" 

"  Who  dares  deny  it  ?  You  were  seen  to  give 
one  to  that  Castor,  a  man  you  had  only  spoken 
to  once,  you  false-hearted,  adulterous  hussy !" 

"  It  was  only  a  letter  to  my  father." 

"Liar!  it  was  a  love-letter.  And  that  Greaves 
couldn't  show  his  face,  but  you  must  unveil  to 
him. — Damnation  ! — There  !  you  are  driving  me 
mad.  But  you  shall  not  escape,  nor  your  para- 
mours elect.  I  know  where  to  find  them  ;  and 
yoH  I've  got." 

The  poor  creature  began  to  shiver.  "  I  am  full 
of  faults,"  she  whimpered.  "Discipline  me,  dear. 
You  will  mend  me  in  time." 

"Xo,  Judas!"  roared  the  madman.  "I  have 
disciplined  you  in  vain.  Discipline  !  it  is  wasted 
on  such  a  character.     I  must  try  extinction." 

"  What,  would  you  kill  me,  Edward  ?" 

"  Dead  as  a  herring." 

"  God  have  mercy  on  me !" 

"  That's  His  affair ;  mive  is  to  see  that  you  de- 
ceive and  delude  no  more  able  navigators,  and 
drive  them  mad.  But  don't  you  think  I'm  going 
to  shed  your  blood.  I'm  too  fond  of  you,  traitrest* 
— viper — hussy — demon   of  deceit.      And  don't 


91 


you  think  you  shall  die  alone.  No.  You  shall 
perish  with  your  Castor  and  your  Greaves,  cursed 
triumvirate.  I  know  where  to  find  them  both. 
This  very  day  I'll  catch  them,  and  lash  them  to 
the  furniture,  scuttle  my  beloved  schooner,  and 
set  the  water  bubbling  slowly  up  till  it  sucks  you 
all  three  down  to  the  bottom.  Sit  down  on  that 
ottoman,  if  you  please,  loveliest  and  wickedest  of 
all  God's  creatures." 

*'I  will  not.  I  will  scream  if  you  lay  a  hand 
on  me." 

"  In  that  case,"  said  he,  "  you  will  drive  me  to 
a  thing  I  detest,  and  that  is  violence."  And  he 
drew  out  a  revolver. 

Then  she  put  up  her  quivering  hands,  and,  pale 
and  quaking  in  every  limb,  submitted.  She  sat 
down  on  the  ottoman,  and  he  produced  some  gold 
cord  and  tine  silk  cord.  With  the  silk  he  tied  her 
hair  most  artistically  to  the  table,  and  with  the 
gold  cord  he  bound  her  hands  behind  her  back, 
and  reduced  her  to  utter  helplessness.  This  done 
with  great  care  and  dexterity,  he  bade  her  ob- 
serve, with  a  sneer,  that  his  revolver  was  not 
loaded.  He  loaded  it  and  another  before  her 
eyes,  put  them  in  his  pocket,  locked  the  cabin, 
and  went  on  deck,  leaving  her  more  dead  than 
alive. 


THE    JILT.  95 


PART  IV. 

All  this  time  the  schooner  had  been  running 
thirteen  knots  an  hour  before  a  southwest  breeze, 
and  Laxton  soon  saw  a  port  under  his  lee,  with 
many  ships  at  anchor.  The  sight  fired  his  poor 
brain ;  he  unfurled  two  black  pennants  with  a 
white  head  and  crossed  bones,  one  at  each  of  his 
mast-heads,  and  flew  a  similar  ensign  at  his  main- 
peak,  and  so  stood  in  for  the  anchorage,  like  a 
black  kite  swooping  into  a  poultry-yard. 

Greaves  soon  came  to  from  his  fit ;  but  he  had 
a  racking  pain  across  the  brow,  and  the  doctor 
dreaded  brain-fever.  However,  a  violent  bleeding 
relieved  the  sufferer,  and  Nature,  relenting,  sent 
this  much  -  enduring  man  a  long,  heavy  sleep, 
whence  he  awoke  with  an  even  pulse,  but  fell  into 
a  sullen,  dogged  state  of  mind,  sustained  only  by 
some  vague  and  not  very  reasonable  hope  of 
vengeance. 

But  now  the  ladies  interfered ;  from  one  to 
another  they  had  picked  up  some  of  his  story. 
He  was  the  one  hero  of  romance  in  the  ship ;  and, 
his  ill  luck,  bodily  and  mental,  before  their  eyes, 
their  hearts  melted  with  pity,  and  they  came  to  the 
rescue.  However  timid  a  single  lady  may  be,  four 
G 


96  TTIE   JILT. 

can  find  courage,  when  acting  in  concert.  They 
visited  him  in  his  cabin  in  pairs ;  they  made  him 
in  one  day,  by  division  of  labor,  a  fine  cloth  shoe 
for  his  bad  foot;  they  petted  him,  and  poured 
consolation  on  him  ;  and  one  of  them,  Mrs.  (len- 
eral  Meredith,  who  had  a  mellow,  sympatlKiiv 
voice,  after  beating  coyly  about  the  bush  a  bit, 
wormed  his  whole  story  out  of  him,  and  instantly 
told  it  to  the  others,  and  they  were  (juite  happy 
the  rest  of  the  voyage,  having  a  real  live  love  story 
to  talk  over.  Mrs.  Meredith  gave  him  her  ad- 
dress at  Hong-Kong,  and  made  him  promise  to 
call  on  her. 

At  last  they  reached  that  port,  and  the  passen- 
gers dispersed.  (Jreaves  went  on  board  the  CV/i- 
tanr^  and  was  heartily  welcomed. 

He  reported  his  arrival  to  the  admiral,  and  fell 
at  once  into  the  routine  of  duty.  He  intended  to 
confide  in  his  good-natured  friend  the  second 
mate,  but  was  deterred  by  hearing  that  a  new 
steam-corvette  was  about  to  be  dispatched  to  the 
island  to  look  after  pirates.  She  was  to  be  ready 
in  less  than  a  month. 

Nothing  was  more  likely  than  that  the  admiral 
would  give  the  command  to  his  tlag  lieutenant. 
Indeed,  the  chances  were  five  to  one.  So  (Jreavef 
said  to  himself,  "  I'll  hold  my  tongue  about  that 
madman,  and  then  if  1  have  the  good  luck  to  fall 


THE    HLT.  97 

in  with  him,  I  can  pretend  to  take  him  for  a 
pirate,  and  board  him,  and  rescue  her." 

So  he  held  his  tongue,  and  in  due  course  it 
was  notified  to  him  that  he  was  to  command 
the  corvette,  as  soon  as  her  armament  should 
be  complete. 

It  did  not  escape  Lieutenant  Greaves  that  the 
mad  cruiser  might  be  cruising  in  Polynesia  while 
he  was  groping  the  Chinese  islands  with  his  cor- 
vette. Still  there  was  a  chance ;  and  as  it  seemed 
the  only  one,  his  sad  heart  clung  to  it.  In  En- 
gland, time  and  a  serious  malady  had  closed  his 
wound ;  but  the  sight  of  Ellen's  face,  pale  and  un- 
liappy,  and  the  possession  of  her  letter,  which 
proved  that  she  feared  her  husband  more  than 
she  loved  him,  had  opened  his  wound  again,  and 
renewed  all  his  love  and  all  his  pain. 

But  while  he  was  waiting  and  sickening  with 
impatience  at  the  delays  in  fitting  out  his  corvette 
for  service,  an  incident  occurred  that  struck  all 
his  plans  aside  in  a  moment,  and  taught  him  how 
impossible  it  is  for  a  man  to  foresee  what  a  sin- 
gle day  may  bring  forth. 

Admiral  Hervey  was  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the 
.Cerdaur,  and  a  group  of  his  officers  conversing  to 
leeward  of  him,  at  a  respectful  distance,  when 
suddenly  a  schooner,  making  for  the  port,  hoisted 
a  black  flag,  with  death's-head  and  cross-bones 


98  THE    JILT. 

at  her  mast-heads  and  her  main-peak,  and  came 
bowling  in.  She  steered  right  for  the  Cmtaur, 
just  shaved  her  stern,  ran  on  about  a  cable's 
length,  hove  up  in  the  wind,  and  anchored  between 
the  flag-ship  and  the  port  she  was  watching. 

It  really  looked  as  if  this  comic  pirate  meant  to 
pour  his  little  broadside  into  the  mighty  Centaur, 
and  get  blown  out  of  the  water  in  a  moment. 

Then  Greaves  began  to  ask  himself  whether  he 
was  right  not  to  tell  the  admiral  all  about  this 
ressel.  But  while  he  hesitated,  that  worthy  did 
not.  He  grinned  at  the  absurdity  of  the  thing, 
but  he  frowned  at  the  impudence.  "  This  won't 
do,"  he  said.  Then,  turning  toward  his  officers,' 
"  Lieutenant  Greaves  !" 

"  Sir." 

"Take  an  armed  party,  and  bring  the  master 
of  that  schooner  to  me." 

"Ay,  Sir." 

In  a  very  few  minutes.  Lieutenant  Greaves,  with 
two  boats  containing  armed  sailors  anil  marines,; 
and  the  union- jack  tlying,  put  off  from  the  Ct'iitanr 
and  boarded  the  schooner. 

At  sight  of  his  cocked  hat,  the  schooner's  mer 
slunk  forward  and  abandoned  their  commamier 
He  sat  aft,  on  a  barrel  of  gunpowder,  a  revolvei 
in  each  hand,  and  vociferated. 

Greaves  stepped  up,  and  fixed  his  eye  on  him 


He  was  raving  mad,  and  dangerous.  Greaves 
ordered  two  stout  fellows  to  go  round  him,  while 
he  advanced.  Then,  still  fixing  his  eye  on  the 
maniac,  he  so  mesmerized  him  that  he  did  not  no- 
tice the  other  assailants.  At  one  moment  they 
pinned  him  behind,  and  Greaves  bounded  on  him 
like  a  cat.  Bang  ! — bang  ! — went  two  shots, 
ploughing  the  deck,  and  Laxton  was  secured  and 
tied,  and  bundled,  shrieking,  cursing,  and  foam- 
ing, on  board  one  of  the  boats,  and  taken  to  the 
flag-ship. 

Meantime,  Greaves  stepped  forward,  and  said 
a  few  words  to  the  men :  "  Xow  then,  Jack,  do 
you  want  to  get  into  trouble  ?" 

The  men's  caps  went  off  in  a  moment,  "Xo, 
your  honor ;  it  ain't  our  fault." 

"  Then  strike  those  ridiculous  colors,  and  fly 
your  union-jack  at  the  main-peak  ;  this  schooner 
is  under  royal  command  for  the  present." 

"Ay,  ay,' Sir." 

This  was  done  in  a  moment,  and  meantime 
Greaves  ran  down  the  companion  ladder,  and 
knocked  at  the  cabin  door. 

Xo  answer. 

Knocked  again,  and  listened. 

He  heard  a  faint  moan. 

He  drew  back  as  far  as  he  could,  ran  furious- 
ly at  the  door,  and  gave  it  such  a  tremendous  kick 


100  TIIE    JTI.T. 

with  liis  sound  foot  that  the  lock  gave  way,  and 
the  door  burst  open. 

Then  the  scared  Ellen  saw  a  cocked  hat  in  the 
doorway,  and  the  next  moment  her  old  lover  was 
by  her  side,  untying  her  hair,  and  cutting  the  lig- 
atures carefully,  with  tender  ejaculations  of  pity. 

"  Oh,  Arthur !"  she  sobbed.  "  Ah  !  go  away — 
he  will  kill  us  both." 

"  No,  no ;  don't  you  be  frightened.  He  is  un- 
der arrest ;  and  I  command  the  schooner,  by  the 
admiral's  orders.  Don't  tremble  so,  darling ;  it  is 
all  over.  Why,  you  are  under  the  guns  of  the 
Hag-ship,  and  you  have  got  me.  Oh,  my  poor  El- 
len !  did  ever  I  think  to  see  you  used  like  this?" 

So  then  they  had  a  cry  together ;  and  he  said 
every  thing  in  the  world  to  comfort  her. 

But  it  was  not  to  be  done  in  a  moment.  The 
bonds  were  gone,  but  the  outrage  remained.  "  I 
want  a  woman,"  she  cried,  and  hid  her  face. 
"  Arthur,  bring  me  a  woman." 

"  That  I  will,"  said  he ;  and,  seeing  paper  and 
envelopes  on  a  table,  he  dashed  off  a  line  to  thi* 
admiral : 

"  Lady  on  board  the  schooner  in  great  distress. 
May  I  send  her  ashore  to  female  friends  ?" 

lie  sent  the  remaining  boat  off  with  this,  and 
the  answer  came  back  directly : 


J 


THE    JILT.  103 

"Act  according  to  your  discretion.  You  can 
go  ashore." 

As  soon  as  he  got  this,  he  told  Mrs.  Laxton  he 
would  take  her  to  Mrs,  General  Meredith,  or  invite 
that  lady  on  board. 

Mrs.  Laxton  said  she  felt  unable  to  move ;  so 
then  Greaves  dispatched  a  midshipman  in  the 
boat,  with  a  hasty  line,  and  assisted  Mrs.  Laxton 
to  the  sofa,  and,  holding  her  hand,  begged  her  to 
dismiss  all  her  fears. 

She  was  too  shaken,  however,  to  do  that,  and 
sat  crying  and  quivering ;  she  seemed  ashamed 
too,  and  humiliated.  So  this  honest  fellow,  think- 
ing she  would  perhaps  be  glad  if  he  left  her,  placed 
two  marines  at  her  cabin  door,  to  give  her  confi- 
dence, and  went  on  deck  and  gave  some  orders, 
which  were  promptly  obeyed. 

But  very  soon  he  was  sent  for  to  the  cabin. 
Pray  don't  desert  me,"  said  Mrs.  Laxton.  "  The 
sight  of  you  gives  me  courage."  After  a  while 
she  said,  "  Ah,  you  return  good  for  evil." 

"  Don't  talk  like  that,"  said  he.  "  Why,  I  am 
the  happiest  fellow  afloat  now.  I  got  your  letter. 
But  I  never  thought  I  should  be  so  happy  as  to 
rescue  you." 

'*  Happy  !"  said  she.  "  I  shall  never  be  happy 
again.  And  I  don't  believe  you  will.  Pray  don't 
forget  I  am  a  married  woman." 


104  THE    JILT. 

"  I  don't  forpct  that." 

"  Married  to  a  madman.  I  hope  no  harm  will 
come  to  him." 

"  I  will  take  care  no  harm  comes  to  you.'''' 

Then  Greave.'',  who  had  read  no  French  novi-, 
!ind  respected  the  marriage  tie,  became  more  dl- 
tant  and  respectful,  and  to  encourage  her,  said, 
■'  Mrs.  Laxton,  the  lady  I  have  sent  to,  admired 
you  on  board  the  ship,  and  I  am  sure,  if  she  \:<\< 
my  letter,  she  will  do  more  for  you  than  a  p<i(i: 
fellow  like  me  can,  now  you  are  out  of  datiL^  r. 
She  is  a  general's  wife,  and  was  very  kintl  ii 
me." 

"  You  are  very  good  and  thoughtful,"  said  Mrs. 
Laxton. 

Then  there  was  an  awkward  silence,  and  it  was 
broken  by  the  arrival  of  the  boat,  with  General 
Meredith  and  his  wife. 

Greaves  got  them  on  board  the  schooner,  shook 
hands  with  the  lady,  and  proposed  to  her  to  see 
Mrs.  Laxton  alone. 

"  You  are  right,"  said  she. 

Greaves  showed  her  to  the  cabin  ;  and  I  don't 
know  all  that  passed,  but  in  a  very  short  time  these 
ladies,  who  had  never  met  but  once,  were  kissing 
each  other,  with  wet  eyes. 

Mrs.  Meredith  insisted  on  taking  her  new  friend 
hojne  with  her.    Mrs.  Laxton  acquiesced  joyfully  ; 


THE    JILT.  105 

and,  for  once,  a  basket  of  lady's  clothes  was  pack- 
ed ill  five  minutes. 

The  boat  put  ofif  again,  and  Greaves  looked  sad. 
So  Mrs.  Meredith  smiled  to  him,  and  said,  "  You 
know  where  to  find  us.     Don't  be  long." 

Greaves  watched  the  boat  till  it  was  lost  among 
the  small  shipping,  then  placed  the  midshipman 
in  charge,  and  went  at  once  on  board  the  flag-ship. 

Here  he  heard  that  the  master  of  the  schooner 
had  been  taken  on  the  quarter-deck,  and  request- 
ed, civilly  enough,  to  explain  his  extraordinary 
conduct ;  but  had  sworn  at  the  admiral,  and  call- 
ed him  an  old  woman ;  whereupon  the  admiral 
had  not  shown  any  anger,  but  had  said,  "  Clap  him 
in  irons,"  concluding  that  was  what  he  expected 
and  desired. 

Then  this  doughty  sailor.  Greaves,  who  had 
been  going  to  kill  his  rival  at  sight,  etc.,  was 
seized  with  compunction  the  moment  that  rival 
was  powerless.  He  went  boldly  to  the  admiral, 
and  asked  leave  to  give  information.  He  handed 
him  Mrs.  Laxton's  letter. 

"Oh,"  said  the  admiral,  "then  he  is  mad." 

"  As  a  March  hare.  Sir.  And  I'm  afraid  putting 
him  in  irons  will  make  him  worse.  It  is  a  case 
for  a  lunatic  asylum." 

"  You  won't  find  one  here ;  but  the  marine 
hospital  has  a  ward  for  lunatics.     I  know  that, 


106  THE    JILT. 

for  we  had  to  send  a  foretop-man  there  last  week. 
ril  give  you  an  order,  and  you  can  take  him  ashore 
at  once." 

Then  Greaves  actually  took  the  poor  wretch 
who  had  wrecked  his  happiness,  and  was  now 
liimself  a  wreck,  on  board  a  boat,  and  conveyed 
him  to  the  hospital,  and  instructed  the  manager 
not  to  show  him  any  unnecessary  severity,  but  to 
guard  against  self-destruction. 

Then  he  went  directly  to  Mrs.  Meredith  and  re- 
ported what  he  had  done. 

Mrs.  Laxton,  in  spite  of  all  remonstrance,  would 
go  and  sec  her  husband  that  night ;  but  she  found 
him  in  a  strait-waistcoat,  foaming  and  furious, 
and  using  such  language,  she  was  obliged  to  re- 
tire horror-stricken. 

About  five  in  the  morning  he  burst  a  blood- 
vessel in  the  brain,  and  at  noon  next  day  all  his 
troubles  were  over. 

Mrs.  Laxton  mourned  him,  and  buried  him,  and 
Greaves  held  aloof,  not  liking  to  go  near  her  just 
now ;  for  he  was  too  frank  and  simple  to  pretend 
he  shared  her  grief.  Yet  he  had  sense  enough 
to  understand  that,  at  such  a  time,  a  generous 
spirit  remembers  only  a  man's  good  qualities ; 
and  Laxton  had  many  ;  but,  even  when  he  married 
Ellen  Ap  Rice,  the  seeds  were  in  him  of  that  mal- 
ady which  destroyed  him  at  last. 


101 


However,  if  Greaves  was  out  of  the  widow's 
sifjht,  he  was  not  out  of  her  mind,  for  Mrs.  Mere- 
dith knew  his  whole  tale,  and  told  her  how  he  had 
scone  to  Tenby,  and  had  taken  her  marriage  to 
heart,  and  had  been  at  death's  door  in  London. 

At  last  Greaves  called,  having  the  excuse  of  a 
message  from  the  admiral.  He  wished  to  know 
if  Mrs.  Laxton  would  sell  eight  of  her  guns  to  the 
government,  and  also  allow  her  sailors  to  be  draft- 
ed into  his  ships,  all  but  two,  that  number  being 
sufficient  to  take  care  of  her  vessel  in  port. 

Mrs.  Laxton  said,  "  I  shall  do  nothing  of  the 
kind,  without  t/our  advice,  Arthur — Mr.  Greaves. 
Why,  how  am  I  to  get  home  ?" 

Then  Greaves  advised  her  to  sell  the  guns,  for 
they  were  worse  than  useless ;  but  to  part  with 
the  men  only  on  condition  that  the  admiral  would 
man  the  schooner,  "  when  required,"  with  new 
hands,  that  had  never  played  tricks  at  sea  under 
her  late  commander. 

Greaves  called  once  or  twice  in  the  course  of 
this  negotiation,  and  thought  Ellen  had  never  look- 
ed so  lovely  as  in  her  widow's  cap.  But  he  felt 
bound  to  abstain  from  making  love,  though  he 
was  bursting  with  it,  and  both  ladies  saw  it,  and 
pretended  not. 

But  one  day  he  came  to  them  in  great  dismay, 
and  told  them  the  guns  had  been  bought  for  the 


108  THE    JILT. 

stcani-corvettc  he  was  to  command,  and  she  would 
be  ready  in  a  week,  and  he  should  have  to  go  on 
his  cruise.     "  I  am  very  unfortunate,"  said  he. 

The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  moutli, 
when  his  friend,  the  second  lieutenant,  was  an- 
nounced. "  Beg  pardon,  ladies  ;  but  here's  a  1- : 
ter  from  the  admiral,  for  Greaves;  and  we  ;ill 
hope  it's  promotion." 

He  produced  an  enormous  letter,  and,  sure 
enough,  Lieutenant  Greaves  was  now  a  command- 
er. "  Hurrah  !"  shouted  the  second  lieutenant, 
and  retired. 

" This  would  have  made  me  very  happy,  onci,"' 
said  Greaves;  then  cast  a  despairing  look  at 
Ellen,  and  went  off,  all  in  a  hurry,  not  to  break 
down. 

Then  Mrs.  Laxton  hud  a  cry  round  her  friend's 
neck. 

But  next  day  the  same  Greaves  came  in  all 
joyous.  "  I  was  a  fool,"  said  he.  "  I  forgot  the 
rule  of  the  service.  An  admiral  can't  have  two 
commanders.  That  tine  fellow,  who  came  after 
me  with  the  news,  is  lieutenant,  in  my  place,  and 
I'm  to  go  home  for  orders." 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  glad  !"  said  Ellen.  "  When  must 
you  go  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  dare  say  I  might  stay  another  fortnight 
or  so.    When  are  you  going  home,  Mrs.  Laxton  ?" 


loy 


"  The  very  first  opportunity  ;  and  Mrs.  Meredith 
is  to  go  with  me.     Won't  it  be  nice  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  he ;  *'  but  it  would  be  nicer  if  I 
could  be  third  man.  But  no  such  luck  for  me, 
I  suppose." 

Those  two  ladies  now  put  their  heads  together, 
and  boarded  the  admiral.  He  knew  Mrs.  Mere- 
dith ;  but  was  a  little  surprised,  though  too  true 
a  tar  to  be  displeased.  They  were  received  in  his 
cabin,  and  opened  their  business. 

Mrs.  Laxton  wanted  to  go  home  immediately  in 
her  schooner,  and  she  had  no  crew. 

"  Well,  madam,  you  are  not  to  suffer  for  your 
civility  to  ?«.  We  will  man  your  schooner  for 
you  in  forty-eight  hours." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  admiral !  But  the  worst  of  it 
is  I  have  no  one  to  command  her." 

"  Xo  sailing-master  ?" 

"  Xo ;  my  poor  husband  sailed  her  himself." 

"  Ay,  I  remember,  poor  fellow.  Besides"  (look- 
ing at  the  beautiful  widow),  "  I  would  not  trust 
you  to  a  sailing-master." 

"What  we  thought,  admiral,  was,  that  as  wc 
gave  up  the  guns  and  the  sailors,  perhaps  you 
would  be  so  kind  as  to  lend  us  an  officer." 

"  What,  out  of  her  Majesty's  fleet  ?  I  could 
not  do  that.  But,  now  I  think  of  it,  I've  got  the 
very  man  for  you.     Here's  Commander  Greaves, 


no 


going  home  on  his  promotion.     He  is  as  good 
an  officer  as  any  on  the  station." 

"Oh,  admiral,  if  you  think  so  well  of  him,  he 
will  be  a  godsend  to  poor  us." 

"  Well,  then,  he  is  at  your  service,  ladies  ;  and 
you  could  not  do  better." 

Greaves  was  a  proud  and  joyful  man.  "  My 
luck  has  turned,"  said  he. 

He  ballasted  the  schooner  and  provisioned  her, 
at  Mrs.  Laxton's  expense,  who  had  received  a  large 
sum  of  money  for  her  guns.  The  two  ladies  oc- 
cupied the  magnificent  cabin.  He  took  a  hum- 
bier  berth,  weighed  anchor,  and  away  for  old  En- 
gland. 

I  shall  not  give  the  reader  any  nautical  details 
of  another  voyage,  but  a  brief  sketch  of  things 
distinct  from  navigation  that  happened  on  board. 

Mrs.  Laxton  was  coy  for  some  days ;  then  friend- 
ly ;  then  affectionate ;  and,  off  the  Cape,  tyrannic- 
al. "You  are  not  the  Arthur  Greaves  I  remem-' 
ber,"  said  she ;  "  he  had  not  a  horrid  beard." 

"  Why,  I  suffered  for  not  having  one,"  said  he. 

"  What  I  mean,"  said  she,  "  you  do  not  awaken 
in  me  the  associations  you  would  but  for  that — 
appendage." 

"  You  wish  those  associations  awakened  ?" 

"  I  don't  know.     Do  you  ?" 

"  Indeed  I  do." 


Ill 


"  Then  let  me  see  you  as  you  used  to  be — Ar- 
thur." 

The  beard  came  off  next  morning. 

'Ah  !"  said  Mrs.  Laxton,  and,  to  do  her  justice, 
she  felt  a  little  compunction  at  her  tyranny,  and 
disposed  to  reconcile  him  to  his  loss.  She  was 
so  kind  to  him  that,  at  Madeira,  he  asked  her 
to  marry  him. 

'  To  be  sure  I  will,"  said  she — "  some  day. 
Why,  I  believe  we  are  engaged." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  said  he. 

"Then,  of  course,  I  must  marry  you.  But 
there's  one — littler-condition." 

'  Must  I  grow  a  beard  again  ?" 

'  Xo.  The  condition  is — I  am  afraid  you  won't 
like  it." 

'  Perhaps  not ;  but  I  don't  care,  if  I  am  to  be 
paid  by  marrying  you." 

'  Well,  then,  it  is — you  must  leave  the  serv- 
ice." 

"  Leave  the  service !  You  can  not  be  serious  ? 
What,  just  when  I  am  on  the  road  to  the  red  flag 
at  the  fore  !  Besides,  how  are  we  to  live  ?  I  have 
no  other  means  at  present,  and  I  am  not  going 
to  wait  for  dead  men's  shoes." 

"  Papa  is  rich,  d€a)%  and  I  can  sell  the  yacht 
for  a  trading  vessel.  She  is  worth  ten  thousand 
pounds,  Fm  told." 

H 


112  THE   JILT. 

"  Oh,  then  I  am  to  be  idle,  and  cat  my  wife's 
bread." 

"  And  butter,  d^ar.  I  promise  it  shall  not  be 
dry  bread." 

"  I  prefer  a  crust,  earned  like  a  man." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  won't  leave 
the  service  to.oblige  mc,  SirT'' 

"Any  thing  else  you  like  ;  but  I  can  not  leave 
the  service." 

"  Then  I  can't  marry  you,  my  sailor  bold,"  cliaiu- 
ed  the  tyrannical  widow,  and  retired  to  her  cabin. 

She  told  Mrs.  Meredith,  and  that  lady  scolded 
her  and  lectured  her  till  she  pouted  and  was  very 
nearly  crying. 

However,  she  vouchsafed  an  explanation — i 
"  One  requires  change.  I  have  been  the  slave  of  I 
OJie  man,  and  now  I  /nust  be  the  tyrant  of  another," 

Mrs.  Meredith  suggested  that  rational  freedom 
would  be  a  sufficient  change  from  her  condition 
under  Laxton. 

"  Rational  freedom  !"  said  the  widow,  contempt-   , 
uously ;  "  that  is  neither  one  thing  nor  the  other.  .- 
I  will  be  a  slave  or  a  tyrant.     He  will  give  i;i     ^^ 
he  did  about  the  beard,  if  you  don't  inteilt   , 
I'll  be  cross  one  day,  and  affectionate  the  lu    :. 
and  all  sweetness  the  ue.\t.     He  will  soon  ti!..i 
out  which  he  likes  best,  and  he  will  give  in,  poor 
dear  fellow."  It 


THE    JILT.  113 

I  suppose  that  in  a  voyage  round  the  world 
i  these  arts  might  have  conquered ;  but  they  sight- 
ed the  Lizard  without  Greaves  yielding,  and  both 
were  getting  unhappy ;  so  Mrs.  Meredith  got  them 
together,  and  proposed  she  should  marry  him, 
and  if,  in  one  year  after  marriage,  she  insisted 
on  his  leaving  the  service,  he  would  be  bound  in 
honor  to  do  so. 

"  I'm  afraid  that  comes  to  the  same  thing," 
said  Greaves, 

"  Xo,  it  does  not,"  said  Mrs.  Meredith.  "  Long 
before  a  year  she  will  have  given  up  her  nonsens- 
cal  notion  that  wives  can  be  happy  t}Tannizing 
3ver  the  man  they  love,  and  you  will  be  master." 

"  Aha  i"  said  Mrs.  Laxton,  "  we  shall  see." 

This  being  settled,  Ellen  suddenly  appeared 
^ith  her  engaged  ring  on  her  finger,  and  Avas  so 
oving  that  Greaves  was  almost  in  heaven.  They 
anded  Mrs.  Meredith,  with  all  the  honors,  at  Plym- 
)uth,  and  telegraphed  the  Mayor  of  Tenby.  Next 
lay  they  sailed  into  the  Welsh  harbor,  and  land- 
Mi.  They  were  both  received  with  open  arms  by 
he  mayor  and  old  Dewar ;  and  it  was  the  hap- 
piest house  in  Wales. 

Ellen  staid  at  home;  but  Greaves  lived  on 
5oard  the  ship  till  the  wedding  day. 

Ellen,  still  on  the  doctrine  of  opposition,  would 
)e  cried  in  church,  because  the  last  time  she  had 


114  THE    JILT. 

been  married  by  license,  and,  as  she  had  sailed 
away  from  church  the  first  time,  she  would  trav- 
el by  land,  and  no  farther  than  St.  David's. 

They  were  soon  back  at  Tenby ;  and  she  order- 
ed Greaves  to  take  her  on  board  the  yacht,  with 
a  black  leather  bag. 

"  Take  that  into  the  cabin,  dear,"  said  she. 

Then  she  took  some  curious  keys  out  of 
her  pocket,  and  opened  a  secret  place  that  no- 
body would  have  discovered.  She  showed  him  a 
great  many  bags  of  gold  and  a  pile  of  bank-notes. 
"We  are  not  so  very  poor,  Arthur,"  said  she.  , 
"You  will  have  a  little  butter  to  your  bread.l 
You  know  I  promised  you  should.  And  there< 
is  money  settled  on  me;  and  he  left  me  a  great 
deal  of  money,  besides,  when  he  was  in  his  senses, 
poor  fellow.  I  could  not  tell  before ;  or  papa 
would  have  had  it  settled  on  me,  and  that  lowers 
a  husband.  Being  hen-pecketl  a  ?r;v/  liitle — <]uite 
fn'ivatehj — does  not,"  said  she,  cajolingly. 

Greaves  was  delighted,  within  certain  limits. 
"  I  am  glad  to  find  you  are  rich,"  said  he.  "  But 
I  hope  you  won't  make  me  leave  the  service. 
Money  is  not  every  thing." 

"I  promise  never  to  discharge  you  from  my\ 
service,  dear,     I  know  your  value  too  well."         j 

They  spent  a  happy  fortnight  in  Tenby,  as  macl 
and  wife. 


115 


One  day  they  walked  on  the  south  sands,  and 
somehow  found  themselves  in  Merlin's  Cave. 

Here  Ellen  sat,  with  her  head  on  that  faithful 
shoulder,  and  he  looking  down  on  her  with  inex- 
pressible tenderness. 

Presently  she  gave  a  scream,  and  started  up, 
and  was  out  of  the  cavern  in  a  moment.  He 
followed  her,  a  little  alarmed.  "What  is  the 
matter  ?" 

"  Oh,  Arthur,  a  dream !  Such  a  dreadful  one  ! 
I  dreamed  I  played  you  false,  and  married  a  gen- 
tleman with  a  beard,  and  he  was  mad,  and  took 
me  all  round  the  world,  and  ill-used  me,  and  tied 
me  by  the  hair,  and  you  rescued  me ;  and  then  I 
found,  too  late,  it  was  you  I  esteemed  and  loved, 
and  so  we  were  parted  forever.  Oh,  what  a 
dream !     A7id  so  vivid  !" 

"  How  extraordinary !"  said  he.  "  Would  you 
believe  I  dreamed  that  I  lost  you  in  that  very  way, 
and  was  awfully  ill,  and  went  to  sea  again,  and 
found  you  lashed  to  a  table  by  your  beautiful  hair, 
and  lost  to  me  forever  ?'* 

"  Poor  Arthur  !  What  a  blessing  it  was  only 
a  dream !" 

Soon  after  this  little  historical  arrangement 
they  settled  in  London ;  and  Mrs.  Greaves,  being 
as  beautiful  as  ever,  and  extremely  rich,  exerted 
her  powers  of  pleasing  to  advance  her  husband's 


IIG  THE    JILT. 

interests.  The  consequence  is,  he  remains  in  the 
service,  but  is  at  present  employed  in  the  Educa- 
tion Department.  She  no  longer  says  he  must 
leave  the  service ;  her  complaint  now  is  that  she 
loves  him  too  well  to  govern  him  properly.  But 
she  is  firm  on  this,  that,  if  he  takes  a  command, 
she  shall  go  with  him ;  and  she  will  do  it,  too. 

Her  ripe  beauty  is  dazzling ;  she  is  known  to 
be  rich.  The  young  fellows  look  from  her  to  her 
husband,  and  say,  "What  on  earth  could  she 
have  seen  in  that  man,  to  marry  him  ?" 

I  wonder  how  many  of  these  young  swells  will 
vie  with  him  in  earnest,  and  earn  a  lovely  woman 
both  by  doing  and  suffering ! 


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